A male pill is on the way. Source: Supplied

Vasalgel is a non-hormonal form of male contraceptive which is currently being developed and should soon be approved for sale by the Food and Drug Administration panel in the US, paving the way for worldwide sale.

It will be the first approved male contraceptive since the condom.

The contraception tool is being developed by The Parsemus Foundation, a non-profit whose website says it “works to advance innovative and neglected medical research”.

So far the foundation says they have had success on animal testing the product, with human testing set to begin next year.

If all goes according to plan, the contraception could be available for consumers as early as 2018.

So how does it work? Well it’s not actually a pill. Vasalgel is essentially a gel that is injected (under local anaesthetic) into a man’s sperm-carrying tubes called vas deferens, accessible through the scrotum.

It works by blocking sperm and is expected to be reversible through a second injection that dissolves the “gel”, which is a kind of polymer.

Once human trials commence next year, researchers will gain a greater understanding of the expected length of time the drug will produce the sperm-blocking result, and exactly how easily it can be reversed.

But one injection of the drug is expected to last up to ten years.

You’re on Vasalgel right? Nah baby. Source: Supplied

While reports of the clinical trials have been cause for excitement, it does raise questions of trust for some people.

Excluding the use of condoms, birth control has been hitherto largely the responsibility of the woman. And typically most men are happy to trust their sexual partners to take care of the responsibility.

But some have raised the question of whether women would be equally trusting of men who claim to be on “the pill”.

Either way, both sexes seem to think a male version of the pill is a great idea.

According to a survey of nearly 400 Men’s Health Facebook followers, a majority of the men polled (86 per cent) said they would try the birth-control shot.

“I don’t want children — at the moment. The sole responsibility of birth control should not rest on women’s shoulders’ alone,” said one respondent to Woman’s Health.

Women seem to love the idea of being able to share the responsibility of birth control and in the same survey, 72 per cent said they would trust their partner to get the birth-control shot.

However some respondents said such trust would not extend to a “casual” sexual partner.

Birth control, the pill contraceptive for women. Source: News Limited

There are other forms of male contraception in development which don’t involve taking an injection to the scrotum.

A herbal pill called Gendarussa derived from a plant in Indonesia on the island of Papua has gone through phase two of human trials and is believed to work by impeding the sperm’s ability to fertilise the egg.

Among others, there is a US developed anti-Eppin agent that targets sperm’s ability to swim.

But at the moment, Vasalgel looks to be the most promising and likely form of contraception to soon be available for men everywhere.

Hallelujah.