Between condoms and vasectomies lies a vast, undeveloped chasm of male birth control. Contraline, a device startup that released early, positive clinical data in a press release on Thursday, hopes to fill it.
The company has built an injectable gel that’s inserted into the sperm duct, physically blocking the sperm from coming out. Investigators tested the device on 23 participants in Australia last year and recorded no serious adverse events. After 30 days, they found that participants’ sperm concentration dropped by 99% to levels comparable to vasectomy.
It’s early days — the durability of the gel is unclear, as well as its ability to not just reduce sperm count, but reduce pregnancy. Still, it’s a potentially promising tool in the race to find more effective, reversible contraceptives. Especially in the United States, where women’s reproductive rights are waning, men are more interested than ever before in protecting against unwanted pregnancy.