Mayer Labs to relaunch the Today Sponge

BERKELEY, Calif. Mayer Labs on Tuesday announced that it will relaunch the Today Sponge, possibly marking the fourth time the over-the-counter birth control product has been introduced to the U.S. market.

According to Mayer, the product already has distribution through CVS, Walgreens and Duane Reade, three retailers who had carried the product before.

Today Sponge was originally introduced in 1983 and removed from the market due to manufacturing problems in 1994, according to published reports. The product was reintroduced into U.S. stores in 2005 by Allendale Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by Synova Healthcare Group in 2007. Synova “re-launched” the Today Sponge soon after it acquired Allendale, but filed for bankruptcy protection later that year. Now Mayer has acquired the manufacturing and distribution rights to the birth control product.

“We are very pleased to add the Today Sponge to our portfolio of high quality reproductive products,” stated David Mayer, CEO of Mayer Labs. “The recent interruption of distribution was not the result of product quality or consumer demand, but was due to the previous owner, Synova Healthcare Group, filing bankruptcy.”

The Today Sponge is being relaunched with new packaging and Web site. Suggested retail price for a 3-pack is $14.99.