Suecia prueba un fármaco para prevenir el abuso sexual infantil

Various types of chemical castration are used around the world on paedophiles convicted of actual sex offences, but the treatment is not used preventively.

"What we introduce with this study is a way of shifting perspective from being reactive to proactive," Rahm said.

Clinical studies on paedophiles are also rare, because of ethical issues and difficulties gathering data. Conducting research where patients risk harming a third party requires special cooperation with legal and child welfare experts, Rahm said.

In the clinical trial, half of the 60 subjects receive an injection of the drug Degarelix and the other half get a "dummy" drug, or placebo.

Subjects who receive Degarelix will have non-detectable levels of testosterone after three days, an effect that lasts about three months.

Testosterone is involved in several of the most important risk factors for committing child sex abuse, including high sexual arousal, diminished self-control and low empathy, Rahm said.

Anders does not know if he has received the real drug or the placebo, and will only find out when the study is completed in two to three years.

"I have noticed that my sex drive has been sinking lately but I don't know if it's attributable to the medicine," Anders says.

Subjects will also undergo brain scans using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) while they are looking at computer-generated pictures of partially-clothed people of all ages, to see how different areas of their brains react.

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