thestar.com

"There's a dire need for it and a lot of lack of knowledge about it. But the end of the story is, nowhere in the world on any market is there any equivalent of the male pill," said Dr. Jerald Bain, a Toronto physician and expert on male contraception.

Less research is going on today than 10 years ago because "there are no exciting prospects," Bain said. But he expects a male birth control pill to be developed "within our lifetime."

The only other effective male contraceptive inhibits the pituitary gland's production of hormones that produce sperm. But the drug has to be used with testosterone, the main male hormone. When used alone, it causes impotence and decreased sexual desire, Bain said.