A small, recently released study shows a newly developed oral contraceptive for men appears to be both effective and safe. The research, presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago by researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle, studied 83 men between the ages of 18 and 50. The participants' testosterone levels dropped significantly along with two hormones essential for sperm production.
It was learnt that the male contraceptive pill appears to be safe and effective, thus raising hopes that a long-awaited breakthrough may be close.
Researchers have struggled for decades to create a daily tablet to match those available to women because of men clear the hormones they deliver more quickly.
However, a new prototype which slows the process and avoids common side-effects has been tested successfully in a small study at the University of Washington.
The experimental drug is designed to target receptors in the brain which trigger sperm production, bringing the count low enough to avoid pregnancy. Symptoms which have persisted in previous attempts to create a male pill, such as liver damage or low sex drive, were largely absent after a month-long trial.
Like the pill for women, the experimental contraceptive — called dimethandrolone undecanoate, or DMAU — affects hormones and is taken once a day, said the study’s senior investigator, Stephanie Page, a professor of medicine at the university.
“DMAU is a major step forward in the development of a once-daily ‘male pill’,” Page said Sunday in a statement by the Endocrine Society. “Many men say they would prefer a daily pill as a reversible contraceptive, rather than long-acting injections or topical gels, which are also in development.” Endocrinology is the study and treatment of hormones.
However, Page cautioned that the study size was small and that much more research needs to be done.
"We're confident, but this [current] study was too short,” she told Medscape Medical News. “Ultimately, we need to do a study with couples. There's lots of work to do."
Progress toward a male birth control pill has been slow, Page said, because of concerns about liver and kidney damage and, until the new formulation, the need for two or more doses a day. However, DMAU contains undecanoate, a long-chain fatty acid, which Page said solves these issues.
During a press briefing reported by Medscape Medical News, Page showed data from a multinational survey in which 60% to 80% of men indicated that they would be interested in a reversible male contraceptive other than condoms if one were available.
In addition, she said, "Many men say they would prefer a daily pill as a reversible contraceptive, rather than long-acting injections or topical gels, which are also in development," she added.
At the media briefing, Page said her team has just begun a three-month study to expand on its research.
