UK Begins Test Of Hormone-Free Male Birth Control Pill, 16 Men Take Part In First Trial

Researchers in the UK began testing a first-of-its-kind non-hormonal male birth control pill this week, paving the way for responsibility for contraception to be shared fairly between the sexes. According to a Sky News report, Quotient Sciences, a drug development company based in Nottingham began its phase I trial of its male birth control pill known as YCT-529 this week, which involves 16 British men. 

Unlike the female pill, YCT-529 is hormone-free and prevents sperm production by blocking access to vitamin A. Previous studies dating back more than 90 years have shown that depriving mice, rats and monkeys of vitamin A can cause infertility.

Scientists are hoping that this new pill will put more power in men's hands to prevent unwanted pregnancies, because, for centuries, the share of responsibility for preventing pregnancy has always fallen on women. At present, male options are limited to withdrawal, condoms, and vasectomy to prevent unwanted pregnancies, while women can choose from the pill, coil, contraceptive injection, and female condoms or diaphragms.

Pre-clinical studies have found YCT-529 is "99% effective and 100% reversible, with no side effects", according to experts at its manufacturer, YourChoice Therapeutics, based in San Francisco.

''YCT-529 blocks a protein—not hormones—to prevent sperm production. We believe this will be more attractive to men, most of whom view pregnancy prevention as a shared responsibility even despite today's limited contraceptive options, which are permanent or only moderately effective.

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,'' Akash Bakshi, co-founder and CEO of YourChoice Therapeutics said in a statement. 

Gunda Georg, regents professor at the University of Minnesota's College of Pharmacy, who developed the pill, told The Independent, ''The last innovation in contraception was the birth control pill for women, and that's more than 60 years ago. 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.''

''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,” she added.

This clinical trial is expected to end in June 2024, as per Forbes.