FDA's failure to update the labels of products containing the spermicide nonoxynol-9 to warn of the increased risk of contracting HIV among women who use the products puts consumers at risk, according to a... Government Accountability Office report scheduled to be released on Tuesday, the Washington Post reports (Connolly, Washington Post, 4/12).

The failure of the Food and Drug Administration to update warning labels on products containing the spermicide Nonoxynol-9 may increase the risk of contracting the AIDS virus among those who use the products, analysts at the Government Accountability Office have found.

The Food and Drug Administration is halting all imports of Ansell-brand condoms made at the company's Thailand manufacturing plant after two lots of condoms failed to meet FDA safety standards.

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.

What do condoms have in common with toothpaste and toilet paper?

Not enough, according to Adam Glickman, owner of the Condomania stores in New York and Los Angeles. Glickman, who has sold condoms by the millions to individuals and organizations such as the Peace Corps and Planned Parenthood, says condoms should be viewed as ordinary, like toothpaste and toilet paper. "People have gotten past asking, 'Isn't brushing my teeth every morning a hassle?' Given the world we live in, wearing condoms is something you just have to do, like brushing your teeth. The stakes are too high."

The FDA issued an emergency alert today warning consumers of drugs being sold on the Internet falsely claiming that they can prevent or treat sexually transmitted diseases. The products are sold under the names of Tetrasil, Genisil, Aviralex, OXi-MED, Imulux, Beta-mannan, Micronutrient, Qina, and SlicPlus and make claims such as: