Rajasthan University in collaboration with the Urology Research Centre of SMS Hospital is working on a non-surgical male contraceptive injection. A dose of 60 mg of styrene maleic anhydride (SMA) when injected into a male, it is found to be providing protection for more than 10 years.

This non-surgical contraceptive has definite advantages over conventional vasectomy and it blocks the flow of spermatozoa, which results in successful contraception.

The department of zoology, under the guidance of N.K. Lohiya, has been engaged in studies with SMA/Risug for the last five years under financial support from the Union ministry of health and the Indian Council of Medical Research. The department was successful in demonstrating a non-invasive method for reversal.

The key advantage of this contraceptive is that a male can opt for a reversal in case he wants to become a father again. According to Lohiya, this procedure is possible even without anaesthesia. He added that the department had also fully established the reversal of fertilizing ability after short and long terms of treatment in experimental animals.

Rajasthan University and the SMS urology department plan to enroll 50 subjects for the phase III clinical trials with SMA/Risug. Lohiya said the trials would be performed on out-patients.