Promising Results for Male Birth Control Pill in First Human Trial

After decades of little progress in non-hormonal male contraception, scientists are now a step closer to a breakthrough. A new drug called YCT-529, taken as a pill, has shown promising results in a recent early-stage human trial.

The drug works by blocking a protein involved in sperm production, specifically, by disrupting the action of retinoic acid, a form of vitamin A that plays a key role in the development of sperm in the testes. The results of the trial were published in the journal Communications Medicine.

The drug YCT-529 is a non-hormonal oral pill developed in collaboration with Columbia University in New York and YourChoice Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company conducting clinical trials.

Previously, the pill showed 99% efficacy previously in mice and male monkey experiments, in which fertility was regained within 6 weeks in mice and 10 to 15 weeks in monkeys.

Unlike other experimental male contraceptives, YCT-529 does not affect hormone levels, making it potentially safer and more appealing for long-term use.

In this first-ever human study, 16 healthy male volunteers were given single doses of the pill in varying strengths - 10, 30, 90, and 180 mg. They were monitored closely for side effects and changes in vital health indicators, including heart rate, mood, sexual desire, and hormone levels.

The results were encouraging: no major side effects were reported and the drug did not affect testosterone or other reproductive hormone levels. Mood and libido remained unchanged, easing concerns about psychological or sexual side effects. Even the highest dose of 180 mg was well tolerated.

Researchers also tested how the drug behaved when taken with food and found no major difference, meaning it could be taken with or without meals.

This was a Phase 1a trial, which is designed to test the safety of a drug before moving on to larger studies that look at how effective it is at its intended purpose, in this case, reducing sperm count to prevent pregnancy.

While it’s still early days, the success of YCT-529 in this trial is a hopeful sign for the future of non-hormonal male birth control—a field that hasn’t seen much progress in the last 50 years.

- Ends