UK launches first trial of hormone-free male birth control pill. Details inside
UK have initiated the first phase of trials for a revolutionary non-hormonal male birth control pill.
YCT-529: A hormone-free innovation
The drug, named YCT-529, is developed by Quotient Sciences, a Nottingham-based drug development company. The trial involves 16 British men and marks a significant step in shifting the burden of preventing unwanted pregnancies from women to men.
Unlike traditional female birth control pills, YCT-529 operates without hormones, acting to block access to vitamin A and thereby hindering sperm production. Past studies spanning over 90 years have indicated that infertility can be induced in mice, rats, and monkeys by depriving them of vitamin A.
Male contraceptive landscape
The development of this hormone-free male contraceptive aims to offer men more control over family planning, challenging the longstanding notion that preventing pregnancy is solely a woman's responsibility. Currently, male contraceptive options are limited to withdrawal, condoms, and vasectomy, while women have a range of choices, including the pill, coil, contraceptive injection, and female condoms or diaphragms.
YourChoice Therapeutics, the San Francisco-based manufacturer of YCT-529, reports promising pre-clinical results, stating that the pill is «99% effective and 100% reversible, with no side effects.» According to Akash Bakshi, co-founder and CEO of YourChoice Therapeutics, «YCT-529 blocks a protein—not hormones—to prevent sperm production. We believe this will be more attractive to men, most of whom view pregnancy prevention as a shared responsibility.»
Gunda Georg, regents professor at the University of Minnesota's College of Pharmacy and
