February 8, 2017.
The California Parsemus Foundation is working, in partnership with researchers at the University of California, on a contraceptive gel project for men, which would have all the advantages of vasectomy, without the disadvantages.
A contraceptive gel that is injected into the vas deferens
Why would it always be up to women to worry about their contraception? It must be said that men do not have access to a large panel of contraceptives. They are only offered condoms or vasectomy. To avoid an operation that many men dread, the Parsemus foundation which has set itself the goal of ” find affordable solutions that have been overlooked by the pharmaceutical industry », Is working on an interesting project.
It would be a gel that should be injected into the vas deferens. It is this duct that leads the sperm from the testes to the urethra. Called Vasalgel, this product fills in the spaces so as not to leave room for the gametes. It was administered to 16 rhesus macaques, under general anesthesia, which were then placed in contact with females. Result: after 6 months, none of them were pregnant. The expected pregnancy rate would normally have been around 80%.
No adverse effects observed in monkeys
According to this work, published in the journal Basic and Clinical Andrology, the injected product could remain in place for many years and, unlike vasectomy, no adverse effects were observed in monkeys. After a vasectomy, some men may indeed suffer from bleeding, infections or inflammation or chronic pain, which does not seem to be the case with Vasalgel.
A clinical trial with this gel is under preparation in humans but we do not yet know how it will react and whether the injection of this gel will be irreversible or not. If so, what will be the process for removing the gel? In rabbits, the researchers managed to remove the product with sodium bicarbonate solution. But it is still unclear whether this solution could be effective in men.
To read also: Contraception, where are we?
Marine Rondot.
