Some researchers are skeptical that it’s safe and effective.
Officials at the Indian Council of Medical Research say they’ve successfully completed clinical testing of the world’s first injectable male contraceptive, the Hindustan Times reported.
But while the researchers recorded no severe side effects, they did note that “mild scrotal enlargement” was common, as was scrotal pain and nodules at the injection site. These issues resolved within the six-month study period — but two men experienced ongoing “fluid collection” around their scrotums.
The short-term swelling and discomfort may be acceptable to men and regulators, since it resolved quickly, said Michael Skinner, a reproductive biologist who studies male contraceptives at Washington State University. But the continued fluid buildup two men experienced is more concerning, and we’d need a longer-term trial to understand the impact of this response.
“I have not seen any large clinical trails yet, nor studies on reversibility in humans, so [we] will need to wait and see how useful it becomes,” Skinner told Vox. “It could replace need for vasectomy in [the] future, and if reversible [be] useful for contraception. The key is some large-scale trials for utility and reversibility in humans.”
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