Birth control pill for men: Why is it taking so long?

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Image: Rich Pedroncelli/AP

A birth control pill for men has passed initial human safety tests, experts at a leading medical conference have heard. The once-daily pill contains hormones designed to stop sperm production.

It would be a welcome addition to condoms or vasectomy – the only options currently available to men. But doctors at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting were told it could still take a decade to bring it to market.

The female pill was launched in the UK more than 50 years ago. So why is a male pill proving so difficult?

Some say there has been less societal and commercial will to get a male pill off the ground – but opinion polls suggest many men would consider taking it.

Allan Pacey, professor of andrology, at the University of Sheffield, said: “The development of a male birth control pill, or injection, has had a chequered history without much success so far and so it is good to see that new preparations are being tested.

“Unfortunately, so far, there has been very little pharmaceutical company interest in bringing a male contraceptive pill to the market, for reasons that I don’t fully understand but I suspect are more down to business than science.”

Read full, original post: Male pill – why are we still waiting?

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