NEW YORK -- Carter-Wallace Inc., maker of Trojan Brand condoms, is introducing a new, larger condom based on studies showing most men would find a bigger size more comfortable, the company said Tuesday.
The Magnum lubricated latex condoms are 20 percent wider at the tip and tapered at the base to stay on securely, said Scott Hoyt, marketing director for Carter-Wallace.
Using a 1979 publication by the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction on penis size, Carter-Wallace found most men would prefer larger condoms, the company said.
A majority of customer comments on condom size also indicated a need for a larger size, Carter-Wallace said.
Most condoms sold in the United States are 52 millimeters wide at the base to adhere to Food and Drug Administration standards, said a spokeswoman for Consumer Reports magazine, which evaluated condoms in a recent issue. FDA standards permit condoms to be as wide as 70 millimeters at the tip, she said.
'Based on Kinsey data, over 70 percent of men could be more comfortable using a larger size condom, and informal studies through our customer service department support this need,' Hoyt said.
Several experts in sex research, however, said they were unaware of scientific studies showing men need larger condoms than those currently available on the market.
Ted McIlvenna, president of the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco, said he thought the Magnum was 'a merchandising gimmick.'
'Few people will buy it unless somebody carries it around as a bragging instrument,' he said. 'I know of no scientific study showing a huge demand for larger condoms.'
'Actually, the making of smaller ones has been very important,' he said, referring to greater interest in narrower or shorter condoms.
But Hoyt contended that seven out of ten letters from customers commenting on size showed condoms aren't quite large enough.
'It certainly is a marketing strategy,' Hoyt said. 'But with the informal studies we've done, we feel that Magnum fills that very important consumer need. Seventy percent is a large number.'
'We're not providing a double EE size or a 16-inch collar,' he added. 'It's just more comfortable.'
While other condom manufactuers manufacture smaller sizes, Magnum is the first nationally distributed larger size condom, Hoyt said.
Carter-Wallace also makes Trojan and Mentor condoms, which together account for more than 50 percent of total retail condom sales, the company said.
Magnum condoms have been available in retail stores since September, the company said.
Carter-Wallace manufactures and markets toiletries, pharmaceuticals, diagnostic specialties, proprietary drugs and pet products.
The company's stock rose 75 cents to $56.625 a share Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange.
