Contraceptive pill for men immobilises sperm

SCIENTISTS are a step closer to developing a male contraceptive pill after a compound was found to slow down sperm enough to stop fertilisation, reports the journal plos one.

Developed by researchers at the University of north Carolina, eP055 binds to a protein on the surface of sperm and disrupts its ability to swim. In a recent study on monkeys, those given an injection of eP055 had a significant reduction in sperm motility — which meant they couldn’t go on to fertilise an egg — and the drug didn’t disrupt hormone levels, which has been a barrier to developing male contraceptives.

Researchers are now developing eP055 as a pill and planning more trials.