SAN DIEGO, Ca. (WJLA) — A non-hormonal pill could soon expand men's birth control options. Scientists have created a non-hormonal male contraceptive that ...
They identified a compound, which was named YCT529, that inhibited RAR-α almost 500 times more potently than it did RAR-β and -γ. When given orally to male mice for four weeks, YCT529 dramatically reduced sperm counts and was 99% effective in preventing pregnancy, without any observable side effects. To develop their non-hormonal male contraceptive, the researchers targeted a protein called the retinoic acid receptor alpha. “We wanted to develop a non-hormonal male contraceptive to avoid these side effects,” said Noman, a graduate student in the lab of Gunda Georg, Ph.D., at the University of Minnesota.
entists believe they may have made a breakthrough in developing a birth control pill for men.
However, al Noman also warned that this process could take longer. Within four to six weeks of being weaned off the pill, the mice's sperm count returned to normal. "We are very excited and hopeful about this drug.