Condom labels finally catch up to how people have sex

The FDA has reclassified external condoms intended for anal intercourse into a lower-risk category (Class II). Previously, if a company wanted to print the words "safe for anal sex" on a box, they had to go through a separate, grueling, and expensive approval process—even if the condom was identical to the one they sold for vaginal use.

For decades, there was a massive regulatory gap between how people actually have sex and what the government allowed companies to say about it. By keeping the "anal" label behind a paywall of extra clinical trials, the FDA effectively discouraged companies from proving their products worked for everyone. This change acknowledges reality and removes a "purity tax" that made specialized products rarer and more expensive.