There could soon be a pill for men! An experimental male birth control pill successfully passed safety tests in humans when participants took it daily for a month. According to scientists, the drug should not affect libido.
The contraceptive 11-beta-methyl-19-nortestosterone dodecyl carbonate (11-beta-MNTDC) is a modified testosterone that combines the effects of a male hormone (androgen) and a progesterone.
“Our results suggest that this pill will reduce sperm production while maintaining libido,” said Christina Wang of the Los Angeles Biomed Research Institute.
The study was conducted on 40 healthy men at LA BioMed and the University of Washington in the USA. Ten study participants were randomly assigned to receive a placebo capsule. The other 30 men received 11-beta-MNTDC in one of two doses: 200 mg and 400 mg. The subjects took the drug or placebo once daily for 28 days.
In men who received 11-beta-MNTDC, average circulating testosterone levels fell to levels as low as those seen in androgen deficiency.
Wang said the side effects of these drugs are minor. Only four to six men noted fatigue, acne or headaches. In addition, no participant stopped taking the drug due to serious illnessesundesirable side effectsended. All of them successfully passed the security test. The drug effects were reversible after stopping treatment, Wang said.
Because it would take at least 60 to 90 days for the drug to affect sperm production, the 28-day treatment is too short to observe an optimal result, she said.
The researchers plan further studies and if the drug proves effective, it will then be tested in sexually active couples.
“A safe male pill should be commercially available in about 10 years,” predicted Wang.
