Thanks to a reversal by the Food and Drug Administration, men may soon again be 'sponge worthy' as Elaine Benes said on the hit show 'Seinfeld.' The Today Sponge will soon be back on the market now that the FDA has ruled it a safe and effective form of birth control.

Allendale Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of the Today Sponge, was enthused by the ruling. When it was taken off the market in 1995, the Today Sponge was the most popular form of female birth control available. Since then, the sponge's have been available only in Canada and via the Internet but not in drug stores in the United States.

'I am pleased both from a business point of view ... and from the point of view that we can add another contraceptive for women,' said Gene Detroyer, the president and CEO of Allendale Pharmaceuticals.

The Today Sponge was originally manufactured by American Home Products but Allendale Pharmaceuticals bought the rights to sell the birth control device several years ago.

The Today Sponge works by covering the cervix and preventing sperm from reaching the woman's egg to fertilize it. It also contains a spermicide. Roughly 250 million Today Sponges were sold in the United States between 1983 and 1995. Women tended to like the sponge because it was easy to obtain and to use.

Allendale plans to produce between 10 and 15 million sponges in the next year. That is the present capacity of their factories. If sales area strong, that number may be increased.

Regardless, many women and men will rejoice along with 'Seinfeld' character Elaine Benes...Now, men can be "sponge worthy" again.