WASHINGTON.— American scientists are studying a new contraceptive gel for men that, with only one application on the shoulder blades, suppresses sperm production rapidly, reports the scientific journal of the Endocrine Society, based in Washington.
Scientific progress, which is in a Phase 2b of research which evaluates its effectiveness, was presented last weekend at the annual meeting of the Boston Endocrine Society (Endo 2024).
He gel combines two hormones, segesterone acetate and testosteroneand when applying it suppresses sperm production more quickly than other similar experimental hormone-based methods currently used for birth control.
“The development of a safe, highly effective and reliably reversible male contraceptive method “It’s an unmet need,” said the trial’s principal investigator, Diana Blithe, chief of the Contraceptive Development Program at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.
“While studies have shown that some hormonal agents may be effective for male contraceptionthe slow onset of spermatogenic suppression is a limitation,” adds the expert, according to the specialized magazine.
The U.S. Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development funded the study, which included 222 men who completed at least three weeks of daily treatment with the gel.
The gel contained 8 milligrams of segesterone acetate and 74 milligrams of testosterone. Segesterone acetate is a Annovera vaginal contraceptive ring ingredientThe men applied the gel once a day to each shoulder blade, the magazine reports.
At the beginning of the study, the researchers measured the suppression of sperm production by sperm count tests at four-week intervals.
Good results from a contraceptive gel
The threshold considered effective for contraception is one million or fewer sperm per milliliter of semen, Blithe noted.
The majority of study participants (86%) reached this sperm count by week 15, according to the researchers. Among those men, theSperm production was suppressed in an average time or midpoint of less than 8 weeks of treatment with segesterone and testosterone.
Blithe noted that previous studies of male hormonal contraceptives administered by injection showed an average time of between 9 and 15 weeks to suppress sperm production.
“A faster onset time may increase the attractiveness and acceptability of this drug to potential users,” Blithe said.
Testosterone treatment alone decreases sperm productionwith an average time of 15 weeks, but the addition of segesterone acetate accelerates the time and reduces the dose of testosterone needed to suppress sperm production compared to testosterone alone, the scientist adds in the publication.
However, the study’s leaders are continuing to test the efficacy, safety, acceptability and reversibility of contraception once treatment has ended.
The Society of Endocrinology has more than 18,000 membersincluding scientists, doctors, educators, nurses and students in 122 countries, according to the publication itself.
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2024-07-21 08:51:59
