Yes, it’s possible. At least the Endocrine Society conducting the research believe it’s very likely.
The pill Dimendrolone undecanoate (DMAU), according to research, seems safe when used daily for a month and shows consistent hormone responses seen in an effective contraception. DMAU, just like the pill for women, combines the activity of an androgen like testosterone and a progestin says Stephanie Page, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle and the study’s senior investigator.
DMAU, with its pioneering results, is being developed by the National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which funded the study.
“DMAU is a major step forward in the development of a once-daily ‘male pill’. Many men say they would prefer a daily pill as a reversible contraceptive, rather than long-acting injections or topical gels, which are also in development” said the senior study investigator.
The study was led by co-author Christina Wang, M.D. and took place at the University of Washington Medical Center and at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, CA. It included 100 men with an age range of 18 to 50 years who were given different doses of the drug and different formulations or a placebo for 28 days once daily with food. 83 men completed the study and the results were promising.
A “marked suppression” of testosterone and two other hormones required for sperm production was observed which Page said is an effect of effective male contraception. “These promising results are unprecedented in the development of a prototype male pill,” Page said. “Longer term studies are currently underway to confirm that DMAU taken every day blocks sperm production.”
