Promising results have been shown on mice... Contraceptive pills for men soon!

Scientists said that male contraceptive pills will be ready to be tested on humans in just two months, after it showed promising results in experiments on mice, according to the newspaper, "Daily Mail".

Researchers at the University of Minnesota, who invented the drug, say it could enter clinical trials as early as July.

The non-hormonal birth control pill, medically called YCT529, prevented about 99% of pregnancies in mice during the tests, putting them on par with the female birth control drug.

It also did not cause any obvious side effects, such as weight gain, and the male mice were able to give birth to baby mice four to six weeks after stopping them.

Dr. Gonda George, a chemist at a college based in Minneapolis, told Vice that the drug could enter human trials in the "second half of this year."

She said previous experiments had shown it had the "desirable effect" on mice, while ensuring that they remained "viable and healthy".

YourChoice Therapeutics - the manufacturer that says it aims to "revolutionize" contraceptives - will apply to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for permission to start trials.

He did not disclose the number of participants who were recruited and their ages.

Scientists have been trying since the 1950s to develop an effective oral contraceptive, including tablets, gels and injections.

None of them have been approved, and even the most promising options are still believed to be years away from being widely available.

The main snag is that female contraceptives work by preventing ovulation, which occurs once a month.

That is, a male contraceptive would have to stop the production of the millions of sperm that men make every day.

Most drugs in clinical trials target testosterone, which prevents the male sex hormone from producing healthy sperm cells.

However, doctors say the blocking action of testosterone can lead to weight gain, depression, and increased cholesterol.

YCT529 targets the alpha-retinoic acid receptor (RAR-a), a protein heavily involved in cell growth, including spermatogenesis.

When the drug was administered orally to mice for four weeks, the researchers said it "significantly reduced" their sperm count.

They added: "Mice can have young again four to six weeks after they stop receiving the compound."

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