SAN FRANCISCO - Sequel, a new tampon that offers a patented, leak-proof design, has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, allowing the company founders to start marketing the product in the US market.

Created by two high-level athletes and Stanford engineers, Amanda Calabrese and Greta Meyer, Sequel says that its mission is to raise the standard of women’s products with better design and superior technology.

Approval from the FDA marks a critical step in this mission, enabling Sequel to bring its tampon – which is also designed to be more comfortable - to a market that has experienced an influx of private label newcomers in recent years, but, according to Calabrese and Meyer, offers little product differentiation.

The company’s proprietary spiral design is designed to be more fluid mechanically efficient, meaning it absorbs fluid more evenly and won’t leak before it’s full.

With two granted patents and three patents pending, Meyer and Calabrese, said they were driven by a vision where a better tampon is just the beginning of a movement to raise the standard of women’s products. "We are building the products we wish we had on game day, elevating the standards for products long left behind. With so many things to worry about, a leaking tampon shouldn't be one of them,” the founders said.

Commercial availability is expected in the first quarter of 2024.