A Male Birth Control Gel Is the Field’s Most Promising Option in Years

Scientists at the Population Council , the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development , The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor - UCLA Medical Center , and elsewhere are winners of the2023 Gizmodo Science Fairfor evolve an groundbreaking male prophylactic gadget colloidal gel .

The Question

Is there a safe and two-sided path to suppress men ’s fertility , interchangeable to the many available birth control methods for women ?

The Results

The gel , applied day by day to the shoulders , is a combination of nestorone , a type of progestin hormone , and synthetic testosterone . The nestorone lowers sperm cell count and lifelike testosterone levels , both in the testes and in the bloodstream . unluckily , low blood testosterone can lead to side effects like fall sex driving and sexual single-valued function . The plus of man-made testosterone to the colloidal gel is meant to keep levels of the hormone stable in men ’s pedigree , hopefully counteracting these effect , while horizontal surface in the testes should last out low enough that they continue sterile .

Published studies date back to 2009 show the NES / T gel appear to be good and effective at bottle up gentleman’s gentleman ’s fertility . But itslargest testis happening now , with investigator conducting a Phase IIB trial of around 400 men and their partners . A expectant interim analysis of the data is await to be complete in 2023 , but the early result already attend very promising . Last summer , the researchersreportedthat 100 couples had completed the study and that the colloidal gel seemed to be more effective than the nativity control pill and about as in force as long - act reversible contraceptives for women , which are typically around 99 % effective at preventing pregnancy .

Why They Did It

“ Men have nothing other than permanent method and condoms , which have a high loser rate , [ for contraceptive method ] . So this is really an unmet need that we had to plow , ” articulate Regine Sitruk - Ware , one of the project ’s lead coordinators and Distinguished Scientist at the Population Council .

“ Things have changed a lot since we first started act upon on this . The men that fall into this study really wanted to take up responsibility , ” said Christina Wang , principal investigator and investigator at The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor - UCLA Medical Center .

Why They’re a Winner

survey havefoundthat both many men and womanhood would be concerned in novel male antifertility pick . But it ’s been a difficult route to evolve potential method acting .

Some discussion have appear effective butshoweda cracking peril of side result than hoped for . Other drugs , likeRisug and Vasagel — non - hormonal shots delivered to the bollock — look promising but are languishing in clinical development . Options like hormonal andnon - hormonal pillsare still in the very former phase angle of inquiry . The team ’s NES / T colloidal gel in all likelihood wo n’t be the only virile contraceptive available to the populace in the near future , but it could very well be the first in a new generation of options .

What’s Next

The researchers plan to demo their in vogue data point to the Food and Drug Administration in spring 2023 . Given the success they ’ve seen so far , they ’re hope that the FDA will allow them to speed up the process and get going a Phase III tribulation earlier than expected . The sooner that happens , and take over the same positive outcome , the sooner the gelatin could reach the populace . Another vault involve finding pharmaceutical companies willing to fund this continued research and the commercialisation of the technology , though Sitruk - Ware tell they ’re already in talks with several interested partners .

The Team

The NES / T gel project is led by the Population Council , a nonprofit organization that has focused on reproductive health and HIV / AIDS research , particularly in the grow world . It ’s also demand collaboration and funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development , as well as enquiry center like The Lundquist Institute . The Phase IIB run has bank on the cooperation of researchers and doctors at different study internet site across the earth , include in Chile , England , Sweden , and the U.S.

See the full list of Gizmodo Science Fair winners

Read more : With a New Gel , the Future of Male Birth Control Looks smart