
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 28, 1993                   TAG: 9304280185
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

FDA CLOSE TO APPROVING NEW CONDOM

The Food and Drug Administration moved closer Tuesday to approving the first female condom for sale in the United States, saying the device offered limited protection against sexually transmitted diseases.

The FDA said it was prepared to approve the sale of the Reality female condom if the product were tested further and its label noted that male latex condoms are a better method for preventing infection from AIDS and other diseases.

But the device, the only one of its kind ready for sale in this country, received a speeded-up review because of an "urgent need" to give protection to women whose sexual partners will not use male condoms, the agency said.

by CNB