Male Birth Control Derived From Cancer Compound Works in Mice

A drug developed to treat cancer
worked as a form of male contraception in mice in a study that
may point the way toward a birth control pill for men,
researchers said.

Scientists found that giving the compound, called JQ1, to
mice reduced the number and quality of their sperm, then allowed
normal sperm production to resume when the medicine was stopped,
according to research described today in the journal Cell. The
drug didn't lower testosterone, interfere with mating or affect
health of offspring after JQ1's use, researchers said.

While scientists don't plan on studying this specific
compound in humans, the finding suggests a similar acting
medicine may hold promise for developing the first male birth
control pill.

"These findings suggest that a reversible, oral male
contraceptive may be possible," said James Bradner, the senior
author on the study and an assistant professor at Harvard
Medical School, in a statement. "While we will be conducting
more research to see if we can build on our current findings,
JQ1 shows initial promise as a lead compound for male
contraception."

The drug disrupts the process through which sperm develop
and become mature, reducing the quantity and quality of the
sperm in mice, the study found. The treatment, which has yet to
be tested in humans as a form of birth control, was initially
developed to block a gene linked to lung and blood cancers.

Despite the availability of birth control for women and
condoms for men, as many as 49 percent of births in the U.S.
were unplanned in 2006, according to a 2011 study by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.

Birth Control Market

The U.S. market for female birth control pills was more
than $3.5 billion in 2011, according to data from IMS Health
Inc. Those drugs can carry side effects, including blood clots
and weight gain.

Sales of condoms were $430 million in the 12 months through
June 10, according to SymphonyIRI Group, a market-research firm
in Chicago. Church Dwight Co.'s Trojan brand leads the U.S.
market with 69 percent of sales.

Previous studies in male contraception have looked at using
a combination of testosterone and progestin as a gel, patch or
injection to lower sperm count in men, which would reduce the
risk of pregnancy.

The research by scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
in Boston and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston was funded
by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health
and Human Development, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the National
Institutes of Health, the Smith Family Foundation, and Damon-
Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Shannon Pettypiece in New York at
spettypiece@bloomberg.net;

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Reg Gale at rgale5@bloomberg.net