CHICAGO, May 2, 2000-- The Female Health Company (OTC BB:FHCO) announced today that its partner, The Taiho Pharmaceutical Company, launched the Female Condom in Japan using the tradename, MyFemy. 

The Taiho Pharmaceutical Company is a major research-based pharmaceutical and consumer products company with more than 600 sales representatives and distribution in 40,000 drug stores in Japan.  Taiho is dedicated to the research, development and marketing of pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter products as well as medical devices.

The Female Health Company formed a partnership with Taiho in 1994 where Taiho was responsible for completing the necessary studies to get regulatory approval from Koseisho (the Japanese health and drug regulatory agency) to market the female condom in Japan.  Taiho completed a comprehensive, six-year development program and Koseisho approved Myfemy in November 1999. 

“Positive clinical trial data and marketing research results, showed that Japanese women and their partners were very receptive to a female condom in general and very accepting of Myfemy,” said Taiho’s Tatsuo Watanabe, director, Public Affairs.  “We are looking forward to a very strong market acceptance of this revolutionary product.  It gives Japanese women another choice for contraception that is free from hormones, is not disruptive to the sex act, offers little to no loss of pleasure and is relatively easy to use,” he said.

Dr. Mary Ann Leeper, President of the Female Health Company participated in a press conference in Tokyo on April 24 announcing the availability of Myfemy in Japan.  The conference included Mr. N. Hyodo, Taiho’s Executive Managing Director and Dr. K. Kitamura, Director of the Japan Family Planning Association, the influential institution relative to contraception and family planning in Japan.  “Dr. Kitamura is eager to talk to Japanese women about Myfemy as a viable contraceptive choice, its use and advantages over other contraceptive methods,” Leeper said.  “The Female Health Company is happy to share in the celebration of bringing the female condom to Japan.”

One hundred and fourteen members of the Japanese media attended the press conference.  Stories appeared in numerous newspapers the next day including Ashai, the leading national newspaper, three leading economic/business newspapers (Niho Keizai, Nikkei Sangyo, Sankei) and the Japan Times (English language newspaper).

“Japanese women are very used to using a barrier method as their main form of contraception,” Leeper said.  Male condom sales make up the majority of contraception sales in Japan with more than 600 million units sold annually.  We believe that Myfemy will be quite successful in a market where 96 percent of sexually active couples use the male condom, a barrier method,” she said.