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More than 50 years ago, an Indian researcher decided to work on the development of a vaccine that would prevent people from getting pregnant for several months. At the beginning of May, he spoke about the progress of his research.
Early 1970s. Indian researcher Gursaran Pran Talwar embarks on the project of developing a vaccine as a means of contraception. It would be non-binding and without side effects for women. He observed that women in his country had difficulty accessing contraceptives and were sometimes even reluctant to use them. The majority of them prefer to turn to tubal ligation, an irreversible contraceptive method. His career is told by a file of the magazine The Atlantic.
The objective of Gursaran Pran Talwar is to offer women a means of contraception that is easy to administer, less invasive than an intrauterine device and less restrictive than a contraceptive pill. He would also like to protect women from the unwanted side effects of a contraceptive, such as weight gain, mood swings and the formation of blood clots in the most serious cases.
The principle of immunocontraception
How could a vaccine, a technique normally used to eradicate disease, prevent pregnancy? Once injected, the vaccine neutralizes the human chorionic gonadotropic hormone (secreted from the start of pregnancy and essential for the development of the embryo) thanks to the production of anti-HCG antibodies. Without this hormone, pregnancy cannot progress. This is called immunocontraception. The body is told not to let the pregnancy take place by asking it to produce antibodies against it.
Asked about this project, Julie Levy, specialist in feline infectious diseases in the United States, explains that these contraceptive injections are already used in certain wild animals in order to control their reproduction.
Vaccine still in clinical trials
After 50 years of research, Gursaran Pran Talwar said his vaccine is in clinical trials for use in humans. If it is marketed one day, it could be chosen as a contraceptive by many women in view of its many advantages:
- It would not be dangerous for health. The fact of neutralizing the HCG has no effect on the functioning of the organism;
- It is less restrictive than existing contraceptives. After 3 initial doses administered a few weeks apart, women will only have to do one booster each year. It should be noted that an alternative allowing a prolonged release of the vaccine after a single injection is being studied because the immune responses vary from one person to another;
- It reportedly has no impact on libido, weight, or mood;
- Periods and ovulation are maintained monthly. The vaccine would not interfere with the menstrual cycle;
- It is reversible. Women who wish to become pregnant do not have to do the annual booster. Without a booster, the level of anti-HCG antibodies decreases.
Is it effective?
Early clinical trials showed the vaccine to be more effective on some women than others. Blood tests of 20% of clinical trial participants revealed that the immune response was not effective enough to prevent pregnancy. This does not guarantee contraception. However, a contraceptive vaccine cannot be validated and marketed if its effectiveness is less than 99%.
According to Gursaran Pran Talwar, the latest version of the contraceptive vaccine would also have an effect against certain advanced stage cancers. The latest clinical trials have shown that it would be effective in destroying cancer cells in hormone-dependent cancers involving abnormal production of HCG (breast cancer, ovarian cancer).
Now 96 years old, the Indian researcher hopes to be able to complete his invention before leaving this world.
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