Breakthrough in contraception?
First tests of the pill for men successful
3/24/2022 5:14 am
In the future, it is likely that not only women will be able to use birth control pills, but also men. According to studies, it is 99 percent effective in mice. US researchers want to test the drug on humans later this year. According to them, it could hit the market in the next five years.
Scientists from the USA have made a possible breakthrough in the development of a male birth control pill. Studies in mice have shown YCT529 to be 99 percent effective, said University of Minnesota graduate student Abdullah Al Noman. Side effects were not found in the studies.
The research team led by Noman and Professor Gunda Georg wanted to present the results of their study at the spring conference of the American Chemical Society. Human clinical trials are expected to begin in the third or fourth quarter of this year.
Georg said she was optimistic that market approval could come as soon as five years. “There’s no guarantee it will work,” she admitted. “But I would be really surprised if we don’t see efficacy in humans.”
Sperm count drastically reduced
The test mice were orally administered the agent YCT529 for four weeks. According to the scientists, the sperm count of the male mice fell drastically during this time, and 99 percent of pregnancies were prevented. The mice were fertile again four to six weeks after stopping the drug.
While the female pill is based on hormones, YCT529 docks onto a protein called retinoic acid receptor alpha, which plays an important role in sperm production. Previous research on male birth control pills had focused on the male sex hormone testosterone. However, there were side effects such as weight gain, depression and increased cholesterol levels, which increase the risk of heart disease. The female birth control pill, which has been available since the 1960s, can also cause side effects, including blood clots.
“Several studies have shown that men are interested in sharing the responsibility for contraception with their partners,” Noman said. So far, only two methods of contraception have been considered for men: condoms or sterilization. However, the latter is expensive and not always successful.