THE FEMALE HEALTH COMPANY REPORTS:

DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA, 07 July 2000 – The Female Health Company has teamed up with The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to create a new educational guide about The Female Condom.

The partners will launch the Guide at a satellite symposium from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, July 11, as part of the Thirteenth International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa.

The symposium will include a panel discussion of recent lessons learned in female condom programmes and a review of new initiatives.  Recent research into the cost-effectiveness of The Female Condom in preventing HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases will be presented, as well as research into the feasibility of Female Condom re-use.

A highlight of the event will be a thorough discussion of “The Female Condom: A Guide for Planning and Programming.”  A joint WHO/UNAIDS document, the Guide will help health professionals and community organizations design, implement and monitor the introduction of The Female Condom in a range of different settings.  Reflecting field experiences from projects all over the world, the Guide demonstrates how to integrate The Female Condom into existing reproductive health programmes, including training health providers, communicating to women and men about The Female Condom and facilitating the use of the product.

“This new Guide is a key resource tool in helping more aggressively respond to the AIDS epidemic.  We hope that programmes will use it to meet the urgent needs from women and men to expand the range of options to prevent HIV infection,” said Dr. Peter Piot, executive director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)

“Without female prevention methods, there is no way to make a real difference in the AIDS epidemic,” said Dr. Piot.

The Female Health Company worked closely with WHO and UNAIDS to write, design and test the Guide to aid professionals in public and private health systems, non-governmental organizations and community-based organizations who are interested in developing or expanding programs including The Female Condom. “The Guide emphasizes the role of The Female Condom, outlines strategic steps to introduce and integrate it into reproductive health programs and underscores the important public/private partnership that FHC is undertaking with the UN agencies,” said Dr. Mary Ann Leeper, president of The Female Health Company. 

The Female Health Company, UNAIDS and its co-sponsors are continuing their partnership to expand access to and use of The Female Condom as part of The International Partnership against AIDS in Africa.

“We take very seriously our commitment to the IPAA and will continue to work collaboratively to increase the options for safer sex,” said Dr. Leeper.

The Female Condom is a strong, soft, transparent polyurethane sheath inserted into the vagina before sexual intercourse, providing protection against both pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS.

The Female Health Company, based in Chicago, owns certain worldwide rights to the Female Condom including patents that have been issued in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, The People’s Republic of China, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea and Australia.  The Female Condom is the only available product controlled by a woman that protects against sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS and pregnancy.

“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Action of 1995: The statements in this release which are not historical fact are forward-looking statements 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, including such things as product demand and market acceptance; the economic and business environment and the impact of governmental regulations, both in the United States and abroad; the effects of competitive products and pricing pressures; currency risks; capacity; efficiency and supply constraints; and other risks detailed in the Company’s press releases, shareholder communication and Securities and Exchange Commission filings.  Actual events affecting the Company and the impact of such events on the Company’s operations may vary from those currently anticipated.

William R. Gargiulo, Jr.      Mary Ann Leeper,Ph.D.        Yvette Anne Venable

231.526.1244                        312.280.1119               312.397.6070

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