A U.S. judge has ordered the seizure of 1.2 million Trojan brand natural- membrane condoms after federal officials argued that the lambskin condoms did not provide protection against sexually transmitted diseases.
After Judge John W. Bissell of district court signed the order Friday, marshals headed for Carter-Wallace Inc. warehouses to impound the condoms.
New Jersey U.S. Atty. Michael Chertoff said his office had filed a complaint on behalf of the Food and Drug Administration contending that the labeling on the condoms was ”false and misleading, because it fails to reveal that natural-membrane condoms are ineffective for preventing the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.”
The company markets the condoms under the Trojan Naturalamb Kling-Tite label.
The FDA maintains that those condoms are effective just in preventing pregnancy. Lambskin condoms make up 5 percent of the condom market, said a spokeswoman for the FDA, Sharon Snider.
The complaint says the labeling lacked ”adequate warnings against use in those pathological conditions where its use may be dangerous to health or against unsafe methods of administration or application, in such manner and form, as are necessary for the protection of users.”
Latex condoms prevent diseases because their pores are smaller than those of lambskin condoms, according to the FDA.
Lambskin prevents pregnancy because sperm are too large to go through the pores, but organisms that cause sexually transmitted diseases may be small enough to pass through.
Carter-Wallace said the government`s move surprised it.
This month, in response to a request from the FDA, the company said, it began adding a statement to the packaging for its Naturalamb condoms that read, ”To help reduce the risk of catching or spreading many sexually transmitted diseases, use a Trojan brand latex condom.”
The company began phasing in the new packaging three weeks ago and said 2,400 dozen condoms, the existing inventory that the government seized, did not not carry the additional statement.
