NUNZIUM

Whereas women can choose between many methods of contraception, so far the choice for men is reduced to condom or vasectomy - which implies permanent infertility. To overcome this barrier, scientist at the University of Minnesota developed a male pill soon to be tested in a human clinical trial. So far, the data showed that the pill is 99 per cent effective in mice without causing adverse effects. Another option is coming from the University of Edinburgh, where a team developed a shoulder gel releasing the hormone progestin, able to block testosterone production and therefore reducing sperm production. The gel is being evaluated in Phase 2 clinical trials in US. Getting these new options to the market will take between 5 and 10 years mainly because the trials must not only demonstrate the efficacy of the product in preventing the pregnancies, but also the reversibility of the effect - meaning that the couples must manage to conceive once they decide to stop the treatment. With female rights debate on the rise, especially after the decision of the US Supreme Court about the right of abortion (June 24) and the anti-abortion laws passed in Hungary (September 15), male contraceptives may slowly become important to political and societal debates.