I believe that collaboration across academic, government, nonprofit and pharmaceutical sectors can help deliver new birth control methods that are safe, reversible, acceptable and accessible to all.The barrier contraceptive methods include external and internal condoms, the diaphragm, cervical cap, contraceptive sponge, and vaginal spermicides. People are ready for new contraceptive methods. Studies sponsored by the Male Contraceptive Initiative and Parsemus Foundation are testing hydrogels, a type of polymer that retains water, that block sperm from traveling through the vas deferens. Nonhormonal drugs show efficacy in animal models, but preclinical toxicology results are needed before clinical studies to demonstrate safety, tolerability and efficacy in people can begin. A few of these methods are working toward first-stage clinical trials.Īnother nonhormonal method involves reversibly blocking the vas deferens, an organ that transports sperm for ejaculation. Nonhormonal methods typically involve drugs that specifically target sperm-producing organs to decrease sperm concentration or function. These drugs are currently undergoing early testing in people as a daily oral pill or a long-acting injection. My team and I are also developing drugs that function like both testosterone and progestin, but in a single compound. The results of the study, sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Population Council, have so far been promising with minimal side effects, and the couples have found the gel acceptable to use. BARRIER CONTRACEPTIVES TRIALI served as the principal investigator of this trial at the Lundquist Institute. The hormonal contraceptive candidate furthest along in development is currently in an ongoing second stage clinical study that has recruited over 400 couples across four continents. The addition of a progestin further enhances the suppression of sperm production. While the testes require high concentrations of testosterone to make sperm, testosterone is typically included in hormonal methods to ensure that there is an adequate level of the hormone for other bodily functions.Ĭounterintuitively, taking testosterone may also help suppress sperm production, because increasing circulating testosterone levels above a certain level suppresses the same two pituitary hormones. The progestin suppresses two pituitary hormones that control the testes, the organs that produce sperm. These methods typically contain testosterone and a progestin. Hormonal methods are usually taken as a gel applied to the skin, injection to the muscle or oral pill. Researchers are currently looking into several different methods of male contraception. Companies may also be concerned about liability if pregnancy occurs. Other reasons include uncertainties about who would dispense these drugs and unclear regulatory requirements for male contraceptive methods to receive FDA approval. One reason includes weighing the cost of development with uncertainties about the potential market. Lack of interest from pharmaceutical companies may also play a role in deterring male contraception development, and there are a number of possible reasons the drug industry shies away from male birth control. Limited financial resources further slow down development. However, these agencies frequently do not have a drug development infrastructure comparable to pharmaceutical companies, with programs typically run by only a handful of personnel assisted by clinical research organizations. Male contraception development has primarily been supported by governmental and nongovernmental organizations, including the World Health Organization working with academic medical centers. Strong interest in a new male contraceptive raises the question of why there haven’t been any new male birth control methods since the ‘80s. Credit: Daniel Foster, CC BY-NC-SA Barriers to male contraception
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