99% Effective: First Hormone-Free Male Birth Control Pill Enters Human Trials

quote:

---

While the FDA has approved more than 20 types of contraceptives, only two options currently exist for men: condoms and vasectomies. Although about 25% of women who use contraception rely on the oral birth control pill, there is no equivalent pill available for men.

However, research from the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, published in Communications Medicine, has paved the way for the first hormone-free male birth control pill to reach clinical trials.

This new drug, YCT-529, is an innovative, hormone-free, orally administered contraceptive designed for men. Developed in partnership with Columbia University and YourChoice Therapeutics, YCT-529 prevents pregnancy by inhibiting sperm production.

The research found:

In male mice, the drug caused infertility and was 99% effective in preventing pregnancies within four weeks of use.

In male non-human primates, the drug lowered sperm counts within two weeks of starting the drug.

Both mice and non-human primates fully regained fertility after stopping the drug. Mice regained fertility within six weeks, and non-human primates fully recovered their sperm count in 10-15 weeks.

No side effects from the drug were detected in either group.

“A safe and effective male pill will provide more options to couples for birth control,” said Gunda Georg, the corresponding author of the study and a professor in the College of Pharmacy where the drug molecule was developed. “It will allow a more equitable sharing of responsibility for family planning and provide reproductive autonomy for men.”

---