Indo-US team to make male pill a reality

Scientists, who were present at the workshop, said that the male pill research was complicated because it had to be ensured that while reproductive powers were barricaded, the male libido was not done away with. It had to be a careful balance, they said.

Manju Sharma, secretary, department of biotechnology, clarified that all this research was at a very preliminary stage. In one case, however, a researcher has applied for a patent after developing new vagina anti-microbial contraceptive formulation.

The work of the concerned scientist, Dr Sanjay Garg, has also been corroborated by fellow researchers in a Chicago laboratory. Dr Garg is an assistant professor of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER).

The patent, however, does not automatically mean that it would lead to the production of the contraceptive. It would go through an elaborate scientific procedure before plans could be made to contact a pharmaceutical firm and go for manufacturing in bulk.