Research takes ‘major step’ to contraceptive pill for men

A MALE contraceptive pill has been developed which is effective, safe and does not harm sex drive, scientists have announced.

In what has been described as a “major step forward”, the drug was successfully tested on 83 men for a month.

So far, efforts to create a once-daily pill to mimic the mainstream female contraceptive have stalled because men metabolise and clear out the hormones it delivers too quickly.

However, the new drug, called DMAU (dimethandrolone undecanoate), includes a long-chain fatty acid which slows down the clearance, allowing just one dose to be taken each day.

Investigators at the University of Washington Medical Center tested three doses of DMAU – 100, 200 and 400mg – on 100 healthy men aged between 18 and 50, 83 of whom completed the study.

They were subject to blood sampling for hormone and cholesterol testing on the first and last days of the study.

At the highest dose of DMAU tested, 400mg, subjects showed “marked suppression” of levels of their testosterone and two other hormones required for sperm production.

“DMAU is a major step forward in the development of a once-daily ‘male pill’,” said Prof Stephanie Page, the senior investigator on the study.

“Many men say they would prefer a daily pill as a reversible contraceptive, rather than long-acting injections or topical gels, which are also in development.”