a compound they called YCT529. The compound was also designed to interact specifically with RAR-alpha, and not two other related receptors RAR-beta and RAR-gamma, in order to minimize potential side effects.
What the results show in mice
YCT529 drastically reduced sperm counts and was 99 percent effective in preventing pregnancy in a mating trial with mice, which is on track with the effectiveness of the female birth control pill. The pill was administered orally to mice for four weeks.
Researchers monitored weight, appetite and overall activity and found no apparent adverse impacts, which indicates that humans may also be able to tolerate the drug well. However, mice can’t report side effects like headaches or mood changes.
Four to six weeks after being taken off the drug, the infertility in the mice was able to be reversed and the mice were back to fathering pups. This opens the door for a male birth control pill that is well tolerated.
What’s next?
The drug still has to run through clinical trials before it can officially hit the market, but this could be the best hope yet for a male birth control pill.
The team has received funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Male Contraceptive Initiative and is working with a company called YourChoice Therapeutics to start human trials by the third or fourth quarter of 2022 or next year, Georg shares.
“YCT529 is the furthest ahead of all contraceptive agents for men,” Georg, a medicinal chemist at UM who led the new study, told The Daily Beast. “We’re really excited about it and we were able to license it to a company, YourChoice Therapeutics.”
“I’m optimistic this will move forward quickly,” she says, envisioning a possible timeline to market in five years or under. “There is no guarantee that it will work…but I would really be surprised if we didn’t see an effect in humans as well,” she adds.
One question that has often surrounded the conversation around male contraceptive pills is whether or not women will trust men to use them.
However, surveys have shown that most women have faith in their partners to use them responsibly. Additionally, a significant number of men have indicated that they are open to the medication.
“Male contraceptives will add to the method mix, providing new options that allow men and women to contribute in whatever way they deem appropriate to contraceptive use,” argues the nonprofit Male Contraceptive Initiative, which engages in fundraising and advocacy.
The new findings could also open the door for other non-hormonal birth control drugs that operate in other ways, such as slowing down sperm movement, according to Georg and Al Norman. They say the important thing is to make safe options that encourage men to take birth control while removing the reproductive burden from women.
“Birth control is a critical health-care issue,” Al Noman concludes. “Because about more than half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended pregnancies. And that can lead to very poor outcomes, whether in terms of the child’s health or maternal health and also financial and career advancement of women. We need to have more investment in the research and development of the male birth control pill.”