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Male birth control pill 99 per cent effective in mice, man trials to start this year 'Men are less willing to take a birth control pill that has significant side effects — that’s why we are targeting a non-hormonal pathway to developing a male birth control pill' Photo by RGtimeline
Article content Scientists have announced a new highly effective, non-hormonal contraceptive pill for men after successfully testing on mice. With a 99 per cent success rate in preventing pregnancy, researchers aim to begin human trials in the second half of the year.
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Article content The research team noted that after four weeks of orally administering the compound, YCT529, a significant reduction in sperm count was observed in the mice, while preventing pregnancy by 99 per cent without causing any observable side effects. Within four to six weeks after the treatments were stopped, the mice returned to normal levels of virility. “That’s very important — that you knock out the target, that you’ve achieved the desired effect but the mice are also viable and healthy,” researcher Gunda Georg said. “Of course, you have to be careful with this analysis because they are mice and not humans, but nevertheless the effect was very, very promising.” Though potentially risky, clinical trials on humans may begin in the second half of the year, Georg said. Condoms and vasectomies are the only options men can choose from as a form of birth control with no available oral contraceptives. The researchers noted that condoms are single-use and prone to failure, while vasectomies are generally considered a permanent form of male sterilization and can potentially be reversed, but are not guaranteed to work.
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