Male Birth Control Pill Passes Human Safety Tests

A new male birth control pill passed tests of safety and tolerability when healthy men used it daily for a month, a recent study has found. According to researchers, the pills also produced hormone responses consistent with effective contraception.

The experimental male oral contraceptive is called 11-beta-methyl-19-nortestosterone dodecylcarbonate, or 11-beta-MNTDC. Among men receiving 11-beta-MNTDC, the average circulating testosterone level dropped as low as in androgen deficiency, but the participants reportedly did not experience any severe side effects.

Wang said drug side effects were few mild and included fatigue, acne or headache in four to six men each. Five men reported mildly decreased sex drive, and two men described mild erectile dysfunction, but sexual activity was not decreased, she said.

Furthermore, no participant stopped taking the drug because of side effects, and all passed safety tests. – Business Standards