The medicine has just passed research trials at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
A male form of birth control that is injected into the penis may be available as soon as next year.
The birth control, which effectively blocks sperm from leaving the testicles, has just successfully completed a clinical trial at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
All that's left is for the Indian equivalent of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve the shot, which lasts for 13 years, the Hindustan Times reported.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Dr R.S Sharma, a senior scientist with the ICMR, said: “The product is ready, with only regulatory approvals pending [from the government].
“The trials are over, including extended, Phase 3 clinical trials for which 303 candidates were recruited with a 97.3% success rate and no reported side effects. The product can safely be called the world’s first male contraceptive.”
Professor S.K Guha, a scientist from the Indian Institute of Technology, said: “The polymer was developed by Professor S.K. Guha from the Indian Institute of Technology in the 1970s. ICMR has been researching on it to turn it into a product for mass use since 1984, and the final product is ready after exhaustive trials.”
If the drug can mount that final hurdle, it will be the first approved male birth control in the world, finally providing an alternative sterilization via vasectomy for men and the plethora of contraceptives used by women.
