To Mark World AIDS Day, the British Government Pledges 5 Million Pounds for the Purchase of Female Condoms

CHICAGO, Dec. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Female Health Company (NASDAQ: FHCO) today announced that on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2011, the British Government pledged five million pounds (approximately $7.8 M) for the purchase of female condoms to enhance reproductive health needs of women.  The fund, which will be channeled through the Department of International Development to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is additional to the 35 million pounds generally provided for contraceptive supplies to save the lives of thousands of women who urgently need contraception supplies.   

The British International Development Minister Stephen O'Brian made the announcement at a plenary session on "Family Planning and HIV:  Strange Bedfellows No More" at the on-going second international conference on Family Planning in Dakar.  Mr. O'Brian said AIDS is a major cause of maternal deaths in high prevalence countries and there is the need to put in measures to address and halt the spread of the virus.  The British Minister said there is the urgent need for a comprehensive approach that will ensure the integration of quality sexual reproductive health, including prevention of the HIV/AIDS virus, and family planning needs.  He explained that millions of unintended pregnancies occur every year because 215 million women who want desperately to delay or avoid their pregnancies are not able to do so.  He said the provision of the fund will ensure that two million unintended pregnancies are prevented.

O.B. Parrish, Chairman and C.E.O. of The Female Health Company, noted that "the Company lauds the British Government for its concern and support of women's reproductive health concerns world-wide".

About The Female Health Company

The Female Health Company, based in Chicago, Illinois, manufactures and markets the FC2 Female Condom® (FC2), which is available in the U.S. and in about 120 other countries globally.  The Company owns certain worldwide rights to the FC2 Female Condom®, including patents that have been issued in the U.S., the European Union, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Japan, The People's Republic of China, Spain, Mexico, Greece, Turkey and the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), which includes Botswana, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  FC2 patent applications are pending in various countries.  The FC2 Female Condom® is the only available FDA-approved product controlled by a woman that offers dual protection against sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and unintended pregnancy.  The World Health Organization (WHO) has cleared FC2 for purchase by U.N. agencies. 

"Safe Harbor" statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

The statements in this release which are not historical fact are "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Forward-looking statements in this release relate to the Company's long-term outlook and growth in demand for the Company's product.  These statements are based upon the Company's current plans and strategies, and reflect the Company's current assessment of the risks and uncertainties related to its business, and are made as of the date of this release.  The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information or future events, developments or circumstances.  Such forward-looking statements are inherently subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties.  The Company's actual results and future developments could differ materially from the results or developments expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements.  Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following:  product demand and market acceptance; competition in the Company's markets and the risk of new competitors and new competitive product introductions; the Company's reliance on its international partners in the consumer sector and on the level of spending on the female condom by country governments, global donors and other public health organizations in the global public sector; the economic and business environment and the impact of government pressures; risks involved in doing business on an international level, including currency risks, regulatory requirements, political risks, export restrictions and other trade barriers; the Company's production capacity, efficiency and supply constraints; and other risks detailed in the Company's press releases, shareholder communications and Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010.  Actual events affecting the Company and the impact of such events on the Company's operations may vary from those currently anticipated.

For more information about the Female Health Company visit the Company's website at http://www.femalehealth.com and http://www.femalecondom.org. If you would like to be added to the Company's e-mail alert list, please send an e-mail to [email protected].

SOURCE The Female Health Company

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