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The new male pill works thanks to a cell signaling protein called soluble adenylyl cyclase and does not cause hormonal changes.
One study published on Tuesday in Nature Communications showed that we are closer to a male birth control pill — in this case, it is a non-hormonal drug, used only when needed and which works by preventing sperm from swimming.
Tests on mice suggest the pill can keep sperm dysfunctional for a few hours, enough to prevent them from reaching the egg. Many other tests are foreseen and are necessary for the project to move forward. Before tests are carried out on people, tests on rabbits are planned.
The idea is that eventually users will be able to take the pill an hour before sex.
temporary effect
Unlike the female contraceptive pill, the new male drug does not involve hormones.
According to the scientists responsible for the project, this is one of its advantages: it would not be necessary to cut testosterone and there would be no side effects due to hormonal changes.
Instead, the “sperm swimming” switch is a cell signaling protein called soluble adenylyl cyclase. The experimental male pill blocks the action of this enzyme.
In the initial mouse study, funded by the US National Institutes of Health, a single dose of the drug, called TDI-11861, immobilized sperm before, during and after sex.
The effect lasted about three hours and, within 24 hours, it seemed to have completely disappeared.
One of the study’s authors, Melanie Balbach, of the Weill Cornell Medicine research center in New York, said the project showed promise because it was a reversible and easy-to-use contraceptive.
But it is important to remember that the contraceptive would not protect against sexually transmitted infections – for this, condoms are still necessary.
Not involved in the study, Allan Pacey, professor of andrology at the University of Sheffield, welcomed the results.
“There is a pressing need for a effective and reversible oral contraceptive for men, and although many different approaches have been tested over the years, none have hit the market yet,” recalls Pacey.
“The approach described here, eliminating a key enzyme for sperm movement, is a really new idea. The fact that it is able to act and reverse so quickly is really exciting.”
“If the mouse trials can be replicated in humans with the same degree of effectiveness, then this could be the male contraceptive approach we are looking for.”
