LadyJeanne
deluded
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2004
- Posts
- 5,885
And it only took ten years...
Business Week Online
Today Sponge contraceptive to be sold again
APR. 22 12:53 P.M. ET The maker of the Today Sponge contraceptive, pulled from the market a decade ago, said Friday that federal regulators will allow its sale once again.
Manufacturer Allendale Pharmaceuticals said the Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved U.S. sales of the sponge, which was the favorite nonprescription birth control product of women when it was withdrawn from the market in 1995.
The withdrawal sparked a run of fiercely loyal fans hoarding every sponge they could find, as well as a hilarious sendoff on the sitcom "Seinfeld," in which character Elaine Benes coined the term "spongeworthy." Like many real women, Elaine scoured Manhattan until she found a case of her favorite birth control at a pharmacy. She then stretched her supply by setting "spongeworthy" standards for prospective lovers.
Now the polyurethane sponges, which have been on sale in Canada and over the Internet since March 2003, will be available shortly through a company Web site.
Soon after that, the product will be available at retail drug chains, followed by supermarkets and mass marketers such as Wal-Mart, Allendale said.
Allendale bought rights to sell the Today Sponge several years ago from the prior manufacturer, Wyeth of Madison. Wyeth, then called American Home Products, had stopped making the sponge. Wyeth opted against upgrading its Hammonton manufacturing plant after FDA found deficiencies there, even though the device's effectiveness and safety were never questioned.
Business Week Online
Today Sponge contraceptive to be sold again
APR. 22 12:53 P.M. ET The maker of the Today Sponge contraceptive, pulled from the market a decade ago, said Friday that federal regulators will allow its sale once again.
Manufacturer Allendale Pharmaceuticals said the Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved U.S. sales of the sponge, which was the favorite nonprescription birth control product of women when it was withdrawn from the market in 1995.
The withdrawal sparked a run of fiercely loyal fans hoarding every sponge they could find, as well as a hilarious sendoff on the sitcom "Seinfeld," in which character Elaine Benes coined the term "spongeworthy." Like many real women, Elaine scoured Manhattan until she found a case of her favorite birth control at a pharmacy. She then stretched her supply by setting "spongeworthy" standards for prospective lovers.
Now the polyurethane sponges, which have been on sale in Canada and over the Internet since March 2003, will be available shortly through a company Web site.
Soon after that, the product will be available at retail drug chains, followed by supermarkets and mass marketers such as Wal-Mart, Allendale said.
Allendale bought rights to sell the Today Sponge several years ago from the prior manufacturer, Wyeth of Madison. Wyeth, then called American Home Products, had stopped making the sponge. Wyeth opted against upgrading its Hammonton manufacturing plant after FDA found deficiencies there, even though the device's effectiveness and safety were never questioned.
