Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Reuters NewMedia, Inc.; Friday December 19, 11:25 am EST
Christopher Lyddon

The Avanti brand of condom was recently launched in Britain by Durex, owned by London International Group Plc (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: LIG.L), one of the world's largest manufacturers of protective sheaths.

The condom is made of Duron, a new polyurethane-type material which has double the strength of latex, enabling the prophylactics to be produced much thinner than usual.

"It's very good news for people who have the allergy (to latex)," said Caroline Rawlinson, secretary of the LASG.

The effects of latex allergy can vary from minor reactions to the very serious. "Basically it can kill you," Rawlinson said.

There have been no deaths in Britain, but 19 people have died in the U.S. from allergic reactions, she said.

"You have to avoid any possibility of contact with latex."

Even very limited contact can have an effect, Rawlinson added.

For example, a support group member recently found she had an allergic reaction to her car after it was serviced. Investigation showed that it appeared to come from particles left behind on the car's steering wheel by mechanics wearing latex gloves.

Latex allergy is on the increase and can affect between one to five percent of the population. The groups most at risk include health care workers, people who have undergone frequent medical operations, children with spina bifida and those genetically predisposed to allergies.

"In the majority of cases latex is fine, providing it's good quality and non-powdered," Rawlinson said.

The upsurge in the use of latex gloves from the mid-1980s onwards amid concern over HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, meant that more people were experiencing latex allergies, particularly where poorly manufactured gloves were used.

Rawlinson said the support group wanted to see the use of latex gloves reduced, particularly in food handling. "In food you don't need that kind of protection. Properly washed bare hands are better."

Durex is promoting its new condom on the basis of the extra-sensitivity it says it provides, but the company also recognises the benefits for latex allergy sufferers.

Dr William Potter, London International's Scientific Affairs Director, described the new condom as "ideal for latex-sensitive people" at the time of its launch.

The condom "doesn't contain any latex protein at all," LIG spokeswoman Suzanne Baker told Reuters.

While LIG estimates that 8-1/2 billion condoms are distributed worldwide each year, industry sources say the substitution of latex in their manufacture is unlikely to pose a significant threat to the rubber market.

Of the 6.1 million tonnes of rubber consumed globally in 1996, just 780,000 tonnes were in the form of latex concentrate, and only a small portion of this was used in condoms, with most latex going to make rubber gloves and balloons, according to data from the International Rubber Study Group.

The impact of the new condom on even this small portion of the market will probably be minimal, according to its makers, as it will be marketed at three times the price of traditional latex condoms.

"We anticipate that it will create a new market segment, rather than detract from the current market," LIG's Baker said.

"Avanti is a condom you can hardly feel, smell or see -- making it the first condom to get really close to the natural feeling of sex," Durex marketing manager Lewis Jones said in a statement at the time of its launch.

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