The Philippine Online Chronicles

The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday affirmed that condoms in the country are free from defects.

The assurance follows news that the South African government is recalling 1.35 million condoms given out at the African National Congress centenary. Citizens reported that condoms burst in the middle of sex, and were later found to be porous. The condoms were previously approved by the South African Bureau of Standards.

DOH Bureau of Health Devices and Technology Director Agnette Peralta said in an interview, “Condom companies in the country cannot be given certificate product registration or license to operate [if they aren't] qualified or backed by laboratory test results. They have to qualify with our good manufacturing practice requirements.”

Food and Drug Administration Director Suzette Lazo added that they even monitor products that have been approved and given registration; testing condom samples is a governmental compliance procedure.

Earlier this week, pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced its recall of one million packets of birth control pills in the United States due to a packaging error resulting in possible incorrect dosages.

Birth control pills abroad typically have 21 hormone-laden 'active' tablets along with 7 placebo pills, to allow users to maintain the routine of taking them. Some packets in the recall have pills out of sequence while others have an incorrect proportion of active and placebo pills.