E. Shyam P. Reddy: Hormone-Free Male Birth Control Pill Enters Clinical Trials For The First Time
E. Shyam P. Reddy, Professor and Director, Cancer Biology Program, Dept OB/GYN at Morehouse School of Medicine, posted on LinkedIn:
“Hormone-Free Male Birth Control Pill Enters Clinical Trials For The First Time: A hormone-free male birth control pill is undergoing clinical testing for the first time ever.
The drug, called YCT-529, has performed incredibly well at limiting the production of sperm in mice and non-human primates, all while producing very few side effects. In male mice, the unique contraceptive kicks in within a month of use, reducing pregnancies in female mates by close to 100 percent. Male macaques require a higher dosage of YCT-529, but it also causes a rapid plummet in sperm count without severe side effects.
Importantly, the animals soon regain their fertility when the medicine is stopped. The drug also causes no significant changes in three hormones important for sperm production: testosterone, FSH, or inhibin B. Similar to female hormonal birth control, male birth control that influences sex hormones can produce unwanted side effects, such as weight gain, depression, or increased levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol. In the past, these unforeseen consequences have stopped some effective forms from continuing in human trials.
This has led scientists to try non-hormonal methods instead, and so far, they are proving hopeful. A phase 1 clinical trial for YCT-529 is already over and done, and while we don’t yet know the results, they were successful enough that the drug is now entering phase 2, which assesses safety and efficacy. The trial began in New Zealand in September 2024.
‘A safe and effective male pill will provide more options to couples for birth control,’ says medicinal chemist Gunda Georg from the University of Minnesota. ‘It will allow a more equitable sharing of responsibility for family planning and provide reproductive autonomy for men.’
Read more.”
-
Challenging the Status Quo in Colorectal Cancer 2024
December 6-8, 2024
-
ESMO 2024 Congress
September 13-17, 2024
-
ASCO Annual Meeting
May 30 - June 4, 2024
-
Yvonne Award 2024
May 31, 2024
-
OncoThon 2024, Online
Feb. 15, 2024
-
Global Summit on War & Cancer 2023, Online
Dec. 14-16, 2023