Men on the pill, but can they be trusted?

By BILLY ADAMS herald correspondent

EDINBURGH - It is the future of sex, and it is already here. Just ask John Fitzgerald and Natalie Nickelson, a married couple who have resorted to the most popular method of contraception to make sure they do not become parents.

But this time it is John who is on the pill.

Fitzgerald, aged 32, is one of the first men to take a newly developed male contraceptive pill. And for him it has been a revelation.

It is the most significant breakthrough in a quest that has dominated the lives of small but determined groups of scientists around the world for the past decade. This week a new milestone was reached when a team based in Scotland announced it had made a pill which not only had a 100 per cent success rate, but was also free from side effects.

"A lot of people doubted this could be done," said Dr Richard Anderson, one of the project leaders. "But we are very encouraged, and we are ready to take that work forward even further. We could have a male pill on the market within five years."

If he achieves that goal, it would be the biggest development in the sex lives of humans since the original female pill revolutionised contraception 40 years ago. There is no doubt that in scientific terms the invention of a little tablet which effectively fools the brain so the body stops producing sperm is a remarkable achievement.

But even if future clinical studies are successful the researchers will face a barrage of criticism from outraged moral guardians. Then they will have to persuade men to actually take the pill. And what about the plain fact that women simply will not trust a man when told: "Don't worry honey, I'm on the pill."

The last point is not lost on big pharmaceutical companies who have not exactly been breaking Anderson's door down to buy the rights to the new drug. They have, he admits, been sceptical from the start. So far they have resisted pouring money into the pill's research and development. First, they simply did not think it could be done. Now they have to be convinced men will take the pill, particularly when most people believe women should be responsible for birth control.

"I can't read into their minds but I suspect they would question the commercial viability of such a product," said Anderson, a clinical scientist at Edinburgh University's department of reproductive biology. "However, I believe there will be a significant market for it. Even if it was 10 per cent of the [contraceptive] market, that is still a large number of people internationally."

"I can only see positive things from it," says Glenn Ketchen, 32, another volunteer who took part in the trial. "I think it's probably the best way forward."

Supporters of the male pill say it would be one of the most significant developments in creating greater contraceptive choice. Women would no longer have to bear the burden of taking the female pill, which can produce serious side effects, and birth rates and abortions would drop.

That is not a view shared by others, including the Catholic Church in Scotland. "As far as we're concerned, any form of artificial contraception is wrong. A male pill would be as wrong as a female pill," said a spokesman.

"In 1968, when Pope Paul VI issued his decision on the morality of contraception, he condemned the advent of the female pill. Over 32 years have passed since, and he predicted if this, what he called contraceptive morality, took hold, there would be a whole number of unfortunate consequences like people having a more relaxed attitude to abortion and marriage, increased divorce and a large number of unplanned pregnancies.

"All of these have come true, and 32 years on we are reaping the fruits of that mentality. The advent of the male pill will be another step in that direction."

Since the female pill came on to the market 200 million women worldwide have ignored such advice. Surveys have indicated that a majority of both sexes would give their backing to a male contraceptive pill. But the question of women trusting men to take it provokes a range of reactions.

If one in five women forget to take the pill, how can women possibly trust men who always forget to put the top back on the toothpaste?

Joan Burnie, agony aunt and columnist on Scotland's biggest selling daily newspaper, the Daily Record, could not be accused of sitting on the fence.

"It will only work if they dissolve it in the lager," she said.

"I think this is the biggest waste of research money going. There's a perfectly good male contraceptive at the moment which is the condom. Responsible men will use the pill, but they were responsible anyway. Irresponsible younger guys will say: 'Don't worry love, I'm on the pill.' But they're all lying toads."

John Fitzgerald and Natalie Nickelson were so happy with the results, and lack of side effects, that they have signed up for another trial. "This is definitely for couples in long term relationships," says Fitzgerald. "Go for it. Give it a try, nothing to lose."

Like all great medical developments, only time will tell if he is right.