WASHINGTON - The consumers group best known for rating cars and washing machines has turned its testing prowess to condoms to find out which ones measure up best and how other birth control methods compare.

The nonprofit Consumers Union says in a new guide to contraception that the seven top types of condoms they studied did not burst despite vigorous testing, and all models met international standards.

(New York City - The Associated Press) Posted: May 23, 2005 8:00 pm ET
A commission studying HIV/AIDS issued a list of recommendations Monday for containing the disease in New York City, including making condoms more widely available and pushing for more HIV testing.

Government-funded researchers tested anti-HIV drugs on hundreds of foster children over the past two decades, often without providing them a basic protection afforded in federal law and required by some states, an Associated Press review has found. The research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, spanned the country. It was most widespread in the 1990s as foster care agencies sought treatments for their HIV-infected children that weren't yet available in the marketplace. The practice ensured that foster children--mostly poor or minority--received care from world-class researchers at government expense, slowing their rate of death and extending their lives. But it also exposed a vulnerable population to the risks of medical research and drugs that were known to have serious side effects in adults and for which the safety for children was unknown.

FDA on Friday barred the import of condoms made in Ansell's Surat Thani facility in Thailand after the product failed to meet the agency's safety standards, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. FDA placed Ansell's condoms on Level 2 restrictions -- meaning the condoms will have to pass agency tests in at least 10 successive shipments before the restriction is removed -- after an undisclosed failure during the testing of two shipments.

Ansell was barred from exporting condoms from its Thailand plant to the United States on Friday after the products failed to meet rigorous safety standards during a random inspection.

The company subjects its condoms to internal water and electronic tests to ensure their quality, but the US Food & Drug Administration's even stricter examination revealed flaws.

This page has statistics and studies from reputable institutions citing the effectiveness of male latex condoms. The last section addresses some common myths about condoms.

The following statistics are from the fact sheet "The Truth About Latex Condoms," developed by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS).

The first anti-AIDS vaginal gel to make it through late-stage testing failed to stop HIV infection in a study of 6,000 South African women, disappointed researchers announced Monday.

The study was marred by low use of the gel, which could have undermined results, they said. Women used it less than half the number of times they had sex, and only 10 percent said they used it every time as directed.