A new non-hormonal male birth control pill, showing 99% efficacy in pre-clinical trials, may revolutionize contraception for women who’ve suffered side effects from long-term hormonal contraceptives. This innovative solution could provide a reliable and safer alternative, alleviating unwanted symptoms and enhancing women’s reproductive health.
Researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine’s Centre for Drug Discovery have unveiled a new pill that can temporarily block a specific protein essential for male fertility. This development, highlighted by the international media outlet Newsweek, marks a promising advancement towards the realization of a male contraceptive “pill”.
Efforts to develop a hormone-free male contraceptive have been ongoing, with clinical trials commencing in the United Kingdom in 2022. Historically, female contraceptive pills and other birth control methods have been widely available, while male contraception options have been limited primarily to condoms. However, recent advancements have broadened male contraceptive choices to include spermicides and vasectomies.
The research team indicates that the pill or compound targets a key protein, temporarily hindering sperm motility. They further clarify that normal sperm function resumes once the compound exits the system.
This innovation represents a significant stride towards offering a safe and effective male contraceptive option, potentially relieving women from the burden of contraceptive responsibilities.
“This drug works by inhibiting the retinoic acid receptor-alpha, RAR-alpha, a pathway crucial for sperm production. Preclinical studies demonstrated that the drug was 99 per cent effective in preventing pregnancies in mice and fully reversible, showing no apparent side effects,” they stated.
While the researchers have made promising findings, they emphasize that the compound has only been tested on mice so far, and additional research is necessary before human clinical trials can commence. Consequently, it will likely take several years before the pill is available for human use.
According to the Director of the Centre for Drug Discovery.
said, “Although researchers have been investigating several strategies to develop male contraceptives, we still do not have a birth control pill for men.
“In this study, we focused on a novel approach – identifying a small molecule that would inhibit serine/threonine kinase 33 (STK33), a protein that is specifically required for fertility in both men and mice.
“STK33 is therefore considered a viable target with minimal safety concerns for contraception in men.”
A postdoctoral associate at Baylor College of Medicine’s Centre for Drug Discovery, Courtney Sutton, also told Newsweek, that the compound, called CDD-2807 would further be tested “on non-human primates to see if the same contraceptive effects are observed.
“Research into male contraception has been going on for years and will continue to be researched for many years in the future, however challenges with finding suitable non-hormonal targets that will prevent sperm motility and or sperm morphology and not have adverse effects on weight and testis size make the path to obtaining reliable reversible contraception just a little longer to traverse.”
Research has consistently shown that a significant number of Nigerian men do not use contraceptives. A study examining Nigerian men’s attitudes towards family planning found that 71% do not use modern contraceptives, with 19% believing it is solely a woman’s responsibility and 38% thinking that women who use contraceptives are more likely to be promiscuous.
This lack of access and affordability has led to a rise in STIs and abortions among married women, as reported by Wakadaily.
According to Professor Oseremen Aisuodionoe-Shadrach, a Urology expert at the University of Abuja and University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, for the new male birth control pill to gain acceptance, rigorous clinical trials must first demonstrate its effectiveness in preventing pregnancy without the side effects associated with hormonal contraceptives.
He stated, “But luckily for this particular one, they said they’ve identified non-hormonal targets that will cause the contraceptive effect. I think that is the encouraging aspect because people don’t like to take any medication that will alter their hormonal balance. So if there is a medication that is going to cause the desired effect, which is contraception, in this case, without affecting the hormonal balance of the sex involved, which is in this case the men, I’m sure that it will be acceptable.”
The don, further, stated that the slow adoption of contraception among males was due to cultural beliefs, adding that it may be difficult to transform the perceptions and mindsets.
The Reconstructive Urologist explained that the reluctance towards vasectomy is largely due to the surgical nature of the procedure and the psychological impact of “stopping their capacity to reproduce.”
“Not many men will do a vasectomy. Not many men will even use condoms, as simple as it is, because they feel it is the woman who should routinely use contraception. Most of these things stem from cultural beliefs and are not psychological.
“First, because men think that it is women who should use contraception. You know, they think, culturally, it is the woman who gives birth. So, if you don’t want to give birth or want to space childbirth, you should use contraceptives. So, I think that it is just a cultural way because that was how it was devised from the beginning and that was why female contraception started early.
“It was like, if we can get female contraception then there will be no conception. So, of course, the introduction of barrier methods using condoms is not necessarily for male contraception, but for the prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infections, really. So in a logical sense, you would say that female contraception started with a cultural bias that since it is the woman who gives birth, then prevent that conception in the same woman.”
He applauded the science behind the development of non-hormonal male contraception, asserting that it would improve its acceptability.
“But if, perhaps, they find that just taking a tablet and a pill, which does not affect his hormones will achieve that, maybe that will help,” the urologist added.
Professor Aisuodionoe-Shadrach emphasized that even with the development of this new male birth control pill, barrier methods like condoms will still be essential for preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Additionally, he highlighted that this pill promotes male involvement in family planning, which can lead to a reduction in unplanned pregnancies and abortions, as men take a more active role in reproductive health decisions.
“Contraceptives puts the power in the person who is taking it. That is why some women can decide not to be pregnant without their husbands knowing if they are using contraceptives because there is no way they can know except it’s both decided by the couple. If somebody is taking contraceptives, there is no way you can know.
“So if the man now also decides that he doesn’t want a child, or he wants to space child bearing, he can as well use the pill to prevent contraception. So it gives power to the men in that sense and this can reduce the rate of unwanted conception and abortion,” he mentioned.
