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FDA approves Today Sponge

The contraceptive sponge became a household name at the time it was discontinued thanks to the sitcom Seinfeld, but it will once again become available for purchase in the United States this summer.

The U.S. Food and Drug Association announced Friday its approval of the sale of the Today Sponge, manufactured by the New Jersey-based drug company Allendale Pharmaceuticals.

Allendale CEO Gene Detroyer said the sponge will be available for order over the Internet by June or July 2005 and will hit major drug stores as soon as August.

Director of Clinical Services at University Health Services Scott Spear said there may be some demand for the sponge among women on campus.

“If a woman is looking for a [birth control] method that doesn’t involve hormones, that is one benefit of the sponge,” Spear said.

Spear said he does not think the sponge will have a significant effect on women on campus, but he added the sponge provides another choice of contraception for women.

“We don’t have enough methods of contraception that work for every person,” Spear said. “So it is good to have another one back that people found to be something they can use effectively, and I think that is always a good thing.”

However, Spear said, the sponge is not as effective as the Pill or condoms and should be used with condoms or emergency contraceptives. Spear added the sponge does not protect against sexually transmitted infections.

“It is not a terrifically great method, but it certainly is better than nothing,” Spear said. “And using condoms with the sponge would be much better.”

The sponge is a polyurethane disk-shaped sponge that contains the spermicide Nonoxynol 9. When used properly, its makers say the sponge is about 90 percent effective and can be used for up to 24 hours.

Detroyer said the sponge was removed from the market in 1994 because its former producer had contamination in the water supply of the plant manufacturing the product. While the contamination did not affect sponge users, the company decided to discontinue the sponge because of low demand.

However, since its discontinuation, demand has increased, and another company, Allendale, bought the rights for the contraceptive.

The sponge has been for sale in Canada since 2003, and Detroyer said some women in the United States ordered the sponge from Canadian drug distributors or traveled to the country to obtain the contraceptive.

There are many reasons why women would want to use the sponge, Detroyer said, including not having to rely on a partner to provide contraception.

“The biggest target for us is women who want something other than hormonal contraception,” Detroyer said. “But also, it is an over-the-counter product, so it is easily accessible.”

Though the Pill is the most commonly used female contraceptive in the United States, the sponge has gained notoriety even in its absence.

“I think the Seinfeld episode went a long way to make this a very special product,” Detroyer said. “That episode is more than 10 years old, and people today are still very aware of the sponge.”

Detroyer said the sponge, sold in packs of three, costs from $7.49 to $8.99.