Male contraception: finally an effective pill with no side effects!

Today, the mental burden related to contraception rests almost exclusively on women in the majority of heterosexual couples. Tomorrow, that could change! Indeed, the pill for men could very soon see the light of day.

The first contraceptive pill for women was developed in 1956. It took another 10 years before the pill could be legally prescribed, in 1967. At the time, the pill represented an emergency, both health and societal. Indeed, women suffered in their flesh in case ofabortion or unplanned birth. They had a strong desire to control their fertility. Since men are in fact much less involved in the event of pregnancy unwanted, research on the male pill has progressed much more slowly… However, society has evolved and men are now ready to play their part in controlling the couple’s fertility.

Why is there still no male pill?

Apart from the problems of acceptance of treatment by men, research on the male pill had so far focused on the testosterone. Indeed, when this hormone is present in large quantities in the body, it inhibits the production of sperm. But it also generates many side effects, such as weight gain, mental disorders (depression), an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Although some have argued that these side effects are identical to those of the female contraceptive pill, the development of a contraceptive drug based on the testosterone could never succeed.

A 99% effective pill

A team communicated very interesting results on Wednesday 23 March. Researchers have reportedly developed a new male contraceptive pill. The concept is original because it is not based on hormones. The molecule targets a protein, RAR-alpha for receptor alphaacid retinoic. It is involved in the formation of sperm.

Experiments in mice have shown that when this receptor is inhibited, males become sterile. The results are spectacular. In mice treated for four weeks, sperm production drastically decreased and 99% of pregnancies were prevented, compared to a control group. No side effects were observed. Another important element: the contraceptive effect is reversible. After stopping the treatment, the mice were fertile again.

There is still a long way to go before this pill is marketed in humans. From clinical tests must be conducted in humans to assess the safety and then the efficacy of the drug. However, this could go quickly: human trials are planned for the end of 2022.