• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
First human trial begins for hormone-free male birth control pill

Home> News> Health

Published 12:11 20 Dec 2023 GMT

First human trial begins for hormone-free male birth control pill

The trial comes after successful studies on mice

Emily Brown

Emily Brown

Researchers in California have launched the first human trial for a hormone-free male birth control pill.

That's right guys, soon it could be just as much your responsibility to remember to take the pill as it women's. Prepare to feel the dread in your stomach whenever you forget!

Admittedly it might be a while before any men experience that feeling, but it looks like we're one step closer now as the company YourChoice Therapeutics, Inc. has launched its human trial.

Advert

It comes after studies in mice found that the pill successfully dropped sperm count and was 99 percent effective at preventing pregnancy, while also proving safe and reversible.

In a press release, YourChoice Therapeutics explained that a male birth control pill has been a 'vision for decades', but existing drug candidates use hormonal agents which suppress testosterone, and which have been linked to serious side effects.

Data cited by the company shows men and women believe contraception is a shared responsibility, though the existing options for men are limited to condoms and vasectomy.

The pill would offer another contraceptive option for men.
YourChoice Theraputics

Advert

The pill being used in this new human trial is hormone-free, and prevents sperm production by blocking access to vitamin A.

The researchers explain this method is a 'well-established pathway first discovered in the 1930s when researchers found that depriving mice, rats, and monkeys of vitamin A caused infertility'.

The newly developed pill comes after two decades of research by its developer Gunda Georg, who is also founding director of the Institutes for Therapeutics Discovery and Development.

In a statement, Georg noted that the last innovation in contraception was the birth control pill for women more than 60 years ago.

Advert

"The world is ready for a male contraceptive agent and delivering one that’s hormone-free is simply the right thing to do given what we know about the side effects women have endured for decades from The Pill," Georg continued.

"We consciously chose to inhibit the vitamin A signaling pathway in the testis because nearly 100 years of research has validated this pathway and shows that infertility can be reversed easily."

The pill needs to undergo testing and clinical approval before beind released.
Getty Stock Photo

Akash Bakshi, co-founder and CEO of YourChoice Therapeutics, added that the hormone-free pill will likely be more attractive to men than the alternative.

Advert

"The dearth of options reinforces the centuries-old view that pregnancy prevention is ‘a woman’s responsibility.’ It’s not, and we’re committed to advancing the first hormone-free birth control pill for men that’s effective, convenient, and temporary," Bakshi added.

"We thank our investors and the male volunteers who have stepped forward to be a part of this mission.”

The first phase of the study will look into the safety and tolerability of the pill, among other factors, and is estimated to finish around mid-2024.

However, the first trial is only the beginning for the pill which will require further trials and clinical approval before becoming available.

Featured Image Credit: Image Source/Mladen Zivkovic/Getty Images

Topics: Health, Sex and Relationships, US News, World News, Science

Emily Brown
Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

an hour ago
2 hours ago
  • an hour ago

    Scientists in Antarctica baffled as they discover mysterious radio signals coming from beneath ice

    Scientists said it was a 'double-edged sword problem'

    News
  • an hour ago

    People think they've spotted 'sad and pathetic' detail in Trump's military parade speech that's left them 'embarrassed'

    Donald Trump delivered a speech at the parade over the weekend

    News
  • 2 hours ago

    Artist Nezza says she’s 'banned' from singing at LA Dodgers stadium after performance of The Star-Spangled Banner

    Nezza was invited to perform the national anthem ahead of a baseball game over the weekend

    Celebrity
  • 2 hours ago

    Josh Duhamel, 52, gives insight into sex life with wife, 31, as he reveals surprisingly intimate detail

    The Transformers actor said taking testosterone has benefitted many aspects of his life.

    Celebrity
  • Doctor reveals the surprising truth behind the biggest myths surrounding vasectomies in men
  • Young people now so unhappy they've shifted how scientists understood human happiness for years
  • Doctor urges men to do this one simple exercise to improve their sex lives
  • Brittney Griner becomes 'pops' after birth of her first baby with wife Cherelle