logo
Birth control pill for males? Scientists developing hormone–free contraceptive tablet, sperms production...,name is...

Birth control pill for males? Scientists developing hormone–free contraceptive tablet, sperms production...,name is...

India.com24-07-2025
Throughout history, expectations have been placed upon women's shoulders. Whether it is taking care of the home, raising children, relationship management, or even birth control, the responsibility seems to fall to women. Now, in a significant advancement in the development of a contraceptive pill for males, YCT-529 has passed its first human safety trial.
The contraceptive tablet, YCT-529, which does not contain any hormones, has already demonstrated positive results in animal testing, preventing 99 per cent of pregnancies when tested in mice. Although further testing is necessary, this promising success in early testing brings greater hope that the pill may soon be a safe and effective birth control option for men.
According to a Daily Mail report, the hormone-free contraceptive tablet YCT-529 works by blocking access to vitamin A within the testes, thus preventing sperm from being produced. Subsequently, it will not affect testosterone levels. Notably, a man's libido is unaffected while the pill is being taken.
As experts hope to have a male contraceptive pill available by the end of this decade, this is the only one being tested in humans right now. In the most recent trial, researchers recruited 16 men, then gave them different dosages over several days. 'Instead of testing how effective it was in humans – all of the men had undergone vasectomies – the aim was to discover if there were any side–effects,' reads the Daily Mail report.
Analysis indicated that participants did not have any significant changes in heart rate, hormonal function, inflammation, mood, or sexual function. The next stage for the researchers is to conduct larger trials to assess how effective the pill is at preventing sperm production in humans. Experts stated that the findings of this safety trial, published in Communications Medicine, represent an important first step to the pill becoming approved and available.
According to the results of the safety trial, published in the journal Communications Medicine, a total of 16 male volunteers were enrolled to receive single oral doses of 10, 30, 90 or 180 mg of YCT-529 in the fasted state. Volunteers also received 30 mg in the fed state to study the effect of food on the pharmacokinetics of YCT-529.
What were the results of the test? Well, as per the results published in the Journal Communications Medicine, single doses of up to 180 mg of YCT-529 had no effects on heart rate, hormone (follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and testosterone), sex hormone-binding globulin or inflammatory biomarker levels, sexual desire or mood. Further, there was no clear food effect on the pharmacokinetics of YCT-529. The name of the study is Safety and pharmacokinetics of the non-hormonal male contraceptive YCT-529.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

What is Autoimmune Encephalitis? The rare brain disease that forced Aussie athlete Tiana Death to relearn how to walk, talk and write
What is Autoimmune Encephalitis? The rare brain disease that forced Aussie athlete Tiana Death to relearn how to walk, talk and write

Economic Times

timea day ago

  • Economic Times

What is Autoimmune Encephalitis? The rare brain disease that forced Aussie athlete Tiana Death to relearn how to walk, talk and write

Synopsis Tiana Death, a former Australian athletics champion, has revealed her diagnosis of autoimmune encephalitis, a rare neurological condition. This announcement comes two years after she suffered a major seizure and collapse at home. The 24-year-old athlete experienced severe symptoms, including memory loss and the inability to walk or talk, before receiving the correct diagnosis and beginning treatment. Aussie ex-hurdler Tiana Death was diagnosed with a rare brain condition after years of unexplained seizures and symptoms. (Image: Instagram/tianadeath_) Former Australian athletics champion Tiana Death (pronounced Dee-arthe) has publicly shared her diagnosis of a rare neurological condition, autoimmune encephalitis, two years after she collapsed at home during a major 24-year-old, Sydney athlete who won bronze in the 100m hurdles at the 2017 national championships and competed in the 2018 Youth Commonwealth Games, detailed her story on Instagram last month. She described how her life changed suddenly in 2023 when she was found unconscious in her room and rushed to intensive care. She told Daily Mail that at the time of her collapse, she had been experiencing fatigue, headaches, and flu-like symptoms. She later began having seizures and lost the ability to walk, talk, or open her eyes. Initially, doctors believed a virus may have triggered the condition was so severe that doctors considered placing her in an induced coma. During her hospital stay, Death says she didn't recognize her father and experienced severe memory loss. Autoimmune encephalitis is a rare disorder where the immune system mistakenly attacks the brain, leading to inflammation, seizures, memory loss, and other neurological issues. Treatment includes high-dose steroids and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy to suppress the immune response. Death began receiving monthly IVIG infusions, using plasma from healthy donors, which helped her regain some functions. She was discharged from the hospital in February and had to relearn basic tasks like walking, talking, and encephalitis is a rare but recognized neurological condition, with an estimated incidence of about 1 to 2 cases per 100,000 people per year. Though it can affect people of any age, it is more commonly diagnosed in children, adolescents, and young adults. The tricky part of being with the illness is that it is often misdiagnosed early on due to its similarity to viral encephalitis or psychiatric disorders, but awareness is wasn't until June this year that doctors officially diagnosed her with autoimmune encephalitis. By then, she had already spent months trying to manage her seizures with epilepsy medication. Her recovery journey has included significant physical and emotional challenges. She has returned to living independently but continues to manage her lifelong illness with regular treatments and medical support.

What is Autoimmune Encephalitis? The rare brain disease that forced Aussie athlete Tiana Death to relearn how to walk, talk and write
What is Autoimmune Encephalitis? The rare brain disease that forced Aussie athlete Tiana Death to relearn how to walk, talk and write

Time of India

timea day ago

  • Time of India

What is Autoimmune Encephalitis? The rare brain disease that forced Aussie athlete Tiana Death to relearn how to walk, talk and write

What is Autoimmune Encephalitis? Live Events How rare is Autoimmune Encephalitis? Diagnosis and recovery (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Former Australian athletics champion Tiana Death (pronounced Dee-arthe) has publicly shared her diagnosis of a rare neurological condition autoimmune encephalitis , two years after she collapsed at home during a major 24-year-old, Sydney athlete who won bronze in the 100m hurdles at the 2017 national championships and competed in the 2018 Youth Commonwealth Games, detailed her story on Instagram last month. She described how her life changed suddenly in 2023 when she was found unconscious in her room and rushed to intensive told Daily Mail that at the time of her collapse, she had been experiencing fatigue, headaches, and flu-like symptoms. She later began having seizures and lost the ability to walk, talk, or open her eyes. Initially, doctors believed a virus may have triggered the condition was so severe that doctors considered placing her in an induced coma. During her hospital stay, Death says she didn't recognize her father and experienced severe memory encephalitis is a rare disorder where the immune system mistakenly attacks the brain, leading to inflammation, seizures, memory loss, and other neurological issues. Treatment includes high-dose steroids and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy to suppress the immune began receiving monthly IVIG infusions, using plasma from healthy donors, which helped her regain some was discharged from the hospital in February and had to relearn basic tasks like walking, talking, and encephalitis is a rare but recognized neurological condition, with an estimated incidence of about 1 to 2 cases per 100,000 people per year. Though it can affect people of any age, it is more commonly diagnosed in children, adolescents, and young tricky part of being with the illness is that it is often misdiagnosed early on due to its similarity to viral encephalitis or psychiatric disorders, but awareness is wasn't until June this year that doctors officially diagnosed her with autoimmune encephalitis. By then, she had already spent months trying to manage her seizures with epilepsy recovery journey has included significant physical and emotional has returned to living independently but continues to manage her lifelong illness with regular treatments and medical support.

Male contraceptive YCT-529 a breakthrough? Birth control pill that temporarily halts sperm without hormones clears trial
Male contraceptive YCT-529 a breakthrough? Birth control pill that temporarily halts sperm without hormones clears trial

Mint

time26-07-2025

  • Mint

Male contraceptive YCT-529 a breakthrough? Birth control pill that temporarily halts sperm without hormones clears trial

In a new development, men may soon be able to equitably share the responsibility of avoiding pregnancy along with their partners as YCT-529, a birth control experimental pill has passed its initial human safety test, making another way for contraception. It will reportedly cease sperms temporarily without hinderance to hormones. Unlike conventional hormonal birth control pills, the innovative pill developed by YourChoice Therapeutics temporarily halts sperm production while leaving testosterone levels unchanged, New York Post reported. It functions by inhibiting a protein named retinoic acid receptor alpha, which is essential in the sperm creation process. Initial studies indicate that its effects are completely reversible. In tests involving male mice, YCT-529 significantly decreased sperm production, leading to reversible infertility after only four weeks of treatment. When these treated males bred with females, the drug demonstrated a 99% success rate in preventing pregnancy. Comparable outcomes were observed in male nonhuman primates, with sperm counts declining within two weeks of beginning the treatment. Importantly, fertility was fully restored in both species once the drug was discontinued. Mice recovered within six weeks, while primates regained fertility between 10 and 15 weeks. No side effects were noted in either group throughout the studies, the report added. The initial human trial of the medication included 16 healthy males aged 32 to 59, all of whom had previously had vasectomies, a surgical operation that severs and blocks the tubes transporting sperm from the testicles to prevent conception. This additional safety measure was required because no nonhormonal male contraceptive had ever been evaluated in humans before. Scientists wanted to eliminate any chance of permanently impacting fertility, in case participants wished to have children later, Nadja Mannowetz, co-founder and chief science officer of YourChoice Therapeutics, informed Scientific American. She clarified the objective was not to assess effectiveness but to determine if the drug was tolerated well and to observe how it accumulated in the body. Researchers tested multiple doses and found no concerning side effects. There were no changes in heart rate, hormone levels, inflammation, sexual function, or mood. This finding is important because hormonal contraceptives have previously been linked to side effects like mood swings, decreased libido, weight gain, and acne. Mannowetz pointed out that across all doses, the drug demonstrated good and rapid bioavailability, which means it remained active in the body without breaking down too quickly, the report mentioned.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store