Contraceptive sponge re-enters the market.

The Today contraceptive vaginal sponge has just reentered the market on a limited basis after an eight-year hiatus. Currently available only in Canada, the sponge is an alternative to the diaphragm that can be obtained without a prescription and used for multiple acts of intercourse within a 24-hour period.

The sponge protects against pregnancy by blocking sperm from entering the cervix and by releasing the spermicide nonoxynol-9. (Notably, potential users of the sponge should be aware that nonoxynol-9 has been shown to increase the risk of HIV infection when used frequently by women at high risk of infection [see article, page 18]). A recent Cochrane Review conducted by FHI shows pregnancy rates during one year of use to be 17 percent to 24 percent for the sponge compared with 11 percent to 13 percent for the diaphragm. (1) With support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Institutes of Health, FHI also conducted the clinical trials that led to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) original approval of the sponge in 1983. The sponge's original manufacturer took the product off the market in 1995 after problems that would have required a costly upgrade were found at the manufacturing plant. The current manufacturer--New Jersey-based Allendale Pharmaceuticals--must gain a second FDA approval before the sponge can be sold again in the United States. To read more, see http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/03/05/sponge.returns.ap/index.html.

REFERENCE

(1.) Kuyoh MA, Toroitich-Ruto C, Grimes DA, et al. Sponge versus diaphragm for contraception: a Cochrane review. Contraception 2003;67(1):15-18.