A male birth control injection will launch human trials later this year, after a promising new study on its effectiveness showed that the new drug was overwhelmingly successful in preventing pregnancy in rabbits. Vasalgel is a reversible birth control injection for men. Injected into the vas deferens, Vasalgel is a non-hormonal gel that blocks the travel of sperm, similar to what a vasectomy does on a permanent basis. Another injection could flush out the gel and allow the man’s sperm flow to resume.
So far the tests have only been on rabbits and the study was small, but researchers are optimistic about what it might mean for human couples who are tired of the choice between condoms or vasectomy, or having the birth control responsibility fall on the woman. The birth control injection in rabbits was effective for a year, and researchers say it could be even longer in human men. This might be a relief to men who aren’t thrilled with the idea of an injection into that particular area.
Vasalgel could be perfect for men who don’t want to worry about babies now and don’t want to bother with condoms, but think they might want to father a child later, since a vasectomy is difficult or impossible to reverse. In addition to being long-lasting, Vasalgel was found to be more effective than condoms at preventing pregnancy.
The study was published in the journal Basic and Clinical Andrology this week. Twelve adult male rabbits were treated with two different formulations of the gel, one of which was pure styrene maleic acid (SMA) and the other which was a mix of 80 percent SMA plus 20 percent anhydride. Both formulations were effective, with no sperm detected in 11 of the rabbits after injection. One rabbit had a very small sperm count at first, but eventually also dropped to zero. Seven of the rabbits then had the gel flushed from their systems and quickly returned to normal sperm flow.
A press release from Parsemus Foundation says that Vasalgel material forms a hydrogel once injected into the vas deferens. It remains in a soft, gel-like state, able to flex and adhere to the walls of the vas deferens. Many water-soluble molecues are allowed through the hydrogel, but not larger structures such as sperm.
Parsemus Foundation is looking for financial backers to help fund the ongoing research into the development of Vasalgel.