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[EdibleKnife]

RISUG is the male contraceptive people have been talking about for a while and it's finally at the end of its development. Just as a reminder the procedure involves a local anesthetic before injecting a polymer gel into the vas defrens that will rupture the sperm cell membranes when passing through during ejaculation. The procedure is reversible, long lasting (effective for at least 10 years), cheap and requires a procedure that takes less than an hour.

Despite striding towards it's release, the product's inventor Sujoy Guha is having difficulty finding companies willing to distribute it.

A new birth control method for men has the potential to win as much as half the $10 billion market for female contraceptives worldwide and cut into the $3.2 billion of annual condom sales, businesses dominated by pharmaceutical giants Bayer AG, Pfizer Inc. and Merck & Co., according to estimates from the last major drug company to explore the area. India’s reversible procedure could cost as little as $10 in poor countries, and may provide males with years-long fertility control, overcoming compliance problems and avoiding ongoing costs associated with condoms and the female birth-control pill, which is usually taken daily.

It could also ease the burden on the 225 million women in developing countries, who the World Health Organization says have an unmet need for contraception. Yet, so far only a U.S. non-profit has taken up development of the technology abroad.
...

For Sujoy Guha, the 76-year-old biomedical engineer who invented the product, the challenge is to now find a company who wants to sell it—even though male contraception is an area Big Pharma has so far shown little interest in.

“The fact that the big companies are run by white, middle-aged males who have the same feeling—that they would never do it—plays a major role,” said Herjan Coelingh Bennink, a gynecology professor who helped develop the contraceptives Implanon and Cerazette as head of research and development in women’s health for Organon International from 1987 to 2000. “If those companies were run by women, it would be totally different.”

Guha’s technique for impairing male fertility relies on a polymer gel that’s injected into the sperm-carrying tubes in the scrotum. The gel, which has the consistency of melted chocolate, carries a positive charge that acts as a buffer on negatively charged sperm, damaging their heads and tails, and rendering them infertile.

The treatment, known as reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance, or RISUG, is reversed with a second shot that breaks down the gel, allowing sperm to reach the penis normally.

The expected launch of RISUG over the next two years will contribute to the Indian contraceptive market's 17 percent growth through 2021, according to a report last year from Pharmaion Consultants, based near New Delhi.

...

Efforts on a hormone-based male contraceptive continued in 2008 in a study co-funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and UN agencies that was published in October. While the injected regimen’s efficacy was “relatively good” compared to other methods, the study was terminated early after a safety review. The authors noted a “relatively high” frequency of mild to moderate mood disorders, sparking a media uproar over perceived double standards in the development of contraceptives because the side effects seemed similar to those women experience on the pill.

Bayer, which bought Schering in 2006, stopped all research and development activities around male fertility control about a decade ago, said Astrid Kranz, a company spokeswoman.

Although an earlier clinical trial involving the administration of hormones via injection and an implant was “efficient, with a tolerable side effect profile,” Kranz said, the Leverkusen, Germany-based drugmaker wasn’t convinced this “inconvenient” regimen would find sufficient market acceptance.

Male contraception isn’t an area of active research for Pfizer and Merck either, representatives said. Both companies sell products for female fertility control.

Side effects aside, it would take about $100 million and 10 years to bring a hormone-based male birth control pill to market—a low-priority undertaking for pharmaceutical executives, Coelingh Bennink said.

All hope is not lost though for getting Vasagel out in the wild:

In the face of disinterest from the pharmaceutical industry, Guha licensed the technology to the Parsemus Foundation, a U.S.-based non-profit, to help establish a market for it outside India, he said.

Parsemus is working on its own version, called Vasalgel, that it plans to manufacture and distribute at near cost—or potentially $10 to $20 per person in low- and middle-income countries—and $400 to $600 per person in wealthier markets, Elaine Lissner, the foundation’s founder, said in an email.

...

Guha meantime has registered a startup in India called IcubedG Ideas Pvt. Ltd. through which he is pushing ahead with introducing the technology in his home country. He leased space in a New Delhi industrial zone in January after developing a method of mass production using a government grant. Three couples who participated in the clinical trials gathered in his Kharagpur office in February to attest to the need.

And already it's getting some commercial/pamphlet fodder:

Kinkar Ari, a 39-year-old day laborer from a nearby village, said that when he and his wife Aloka decided they didn’t want more children they had a choice between tubal ligation for her or vasectomy for him, but neither could afford the time off to recuperate from the surgery.

When a public health worker told the couple about Guha’s promising alternative, Ari decided to enroll in the study. The injection took 15 minutes with some local anesthesia, and after half an hour of observation at the clinic, he said he was able to walk the 2.5 kilometers home. Two days later, he was back at work. Ari was so enthused by the procedure, he convinced two other couples to have it done, he said.

Stories like that encourage Guha to persist with the project, he said, even though patents on his invention have long since expired and he won’t see any personal financial gain even if it takes off worldwide.

“Why should the burden be borne by the female only?” he said in his office after the three couples had left. “There has to be an equal partnership.”

Bloomberg - A New Kind of Male Birth Control is Coming

No point in asking Gaffers if they'd be wiling to go through the procedure since just mentioning the topic is bound to garner posts about a fear of needles. Personally, I'm completely excited at the prospect of this and wouldn't mind going through the procedure. The procedure checks all the right boxes in regards to efficacy, financial burden and time commitment. It also would be nice if women didn't solely bare the burden of keeping up with birth control pills just for the sake of enjoying condom-less sex with their partners.

 

[Vimes]

Please stab me right in the dick if you have to. I hate kids and don't want them for a long damn time.

How fucking stupid is sexism, that as a man I can't get proper birth control because there aren't enough women on pharma boards.

 

[ZOONAMI]

I am 100% for this. Stick my dick with a needle no problem if my GF doesn't have to take BC.

 

[Ekdrm2d1]

Please stab me right in the dick if you have to. I hate kids and don't want them for a long damn time.

How fucking stupid is sexism, that as a man I can't get proper birth control because there aren't enough women on pharma boards.

Women can't have abortions (well, Republicans don't want them to)

Men can't have birth control.

 

[DBT85]

Really hope this does pick up. Wifey is pregnant and if we get a second I'd gladly have this done.

 

[Mine01]

Please stab me right in the dick if you have to. I hate kids and don't want them for a long damn time.

How fucking stupid is sexism, that as a man I can't get proper birth control because there aren't enough women on pharma boards.

I am 100% for this. Stick my dick with a needle no problem if my GF doesn't have to take BC.

One more here.

Hope someday it reaches Mexico.

 

[CrocMother]

This sounds great! I would get this done without a doubt. I've been with multiple female partners that have gone through borderline traumatic experiences with their birth control. If I could use this injection, which doesn't involve altering the FUCKING HORMONAL BALANCE OF MY BODY, there's no way I wouldn't jump at that opportunity.

 

[thespot84]

Really hope this does pick up. Wifey is pregnant and if we get a second I'd gladly have this done.

wouldn't you be a perfect candidate for vasectomy at that point?

 

[El_Tiguere]

Any possible long-term effects from injecting chocolaty gel into my nuts? I would prefer this before nipping in a vasectomy.

NO MOAR KIDZ PLS

 

[Grym]

yeah I'd do it.

wouldn't you be a perfect candidate for vasectomy at that point?

I'm currently a perfect candidate for a vasectomy (and will likely get one within the year). That said, I'd VERY much prefer a simple, cheap, reversible injection taken once a decade to a painful and difficult-to-reverse outpatient surgery.

 

[Kumquat]

I would say with something like this the percentage rate of "accidental pregnancies" will go down by an incredible amount.

 

[DBT85]

wouldn't you be a perfect candidate for vasectomy at that point?

Why cut when you can block?

 

[CrocMother]

wouldn't you be a perfect candidate for vasectomy at that point?

Why would anyone bother with vasectomy's if this gel is around? It lasts 10 years and is easier to reverse (unless I read incorrectly).

 

[Beartruck]

What man wouldn't want this? I dont want kids right now and sex with a condom feels worse than bare. This drug seems like a pure win/win.

 

[thelatestmodel]

I have a needle phobia. Having a needle near my dick is one of the worst things I can possibly imagine.

I don't think I could physically bring myself to have this done.

 

[zephervack]

The human race had a good run.

Wonder how the world will look like without accidental pregnancies.

 

[EdibleKnife]

What man wouldn't want this? I dont want kids right now and sex with a condom feels worse than bare. This drug seems like a pure win/win.

If you're a man that makes a lot of money from birth control pills, which need to be purchased often comparatively, you wouldn't want this.

The human race had a good run.

Wonder how the world will look like without accidental pregnancies.

Middle and lower class people would have larger savings accounts for one

 

[kris.]

I have a needle phobia. Having a needle near my dick is one of the worst things I can possibly imagine.

I don't think I could physically bring myself to have this done.

Yeah, they'd have to knock me the fuck out to get this done. This sounds terrifying but so convenient.

 

[EYEL1NER]

I get that "Vasegel" gets its name from it being a gel injected into the vas deferens and I know that there are other "vas-" words out there that deal with male anatomy, but I feel like that is a horrible choice for a name for a medicine for a man's junk. It immediately makes me think of Vagisil, even more so after I say it out loud. I think the names are too similar.

Hope this can keep moving forward though. I don't think my wife has any real negative side effects from her birth control but I would definitely do this if she was.

 

[Arttemis]

The drug itself costs less than the syringe required to inject it, and it lasts at least 10 years. Fuck any company preventing this bullshit. That behavior should be considered some kind of crime against humanity.

 

[Chocolate & Vanilla]

I've had my kids. I would do this in a heartbeat but by the time it gets to the UK I'll have been snipped anyway.

 

[DBT85]

I have a needle phobia. Having a needle near my dick is one of the worst things I can possibly imagine.

I don't think I could physically bring myself to have this done.

Women have smear tests and mammograms. You can't take a little needle to the ballsack?

 

[LucidMomentum]

I have a needle phobia. Having a needle near my dick is one of the worst things I can possibly imagine.

I don't think I could physically bring myself to have this done.

Anesthetic, dude.

 

[Auto_aim1]

Women have smear tests and mammograms. You can't take a little needle to the ballsack?

Anesthetic, dude.

Fuck no. Just the thought of that makes me incredibly uncomfortable.

 

[AbortedWalrusFetus]

Anesthetic, dude.

It's a local. Which involves a needle to administer. They wouldn't use a general for something like this.

Not that it matters, a phobia is a phobia I guess.

I'm not really surprised pharma isn't interested. It's going to cut into their profits from hormonal birth control. It's not in their financial interests to support it.

 

[Omegasquash]

I have a needle phobia. Having a needle near my dick is one of the worst things I can possibly imagine.

I don't think I could physically bring myself to have this done.

You'd just need a doctor with good bedside manner.

Women have smear tests and mammograms. You can't take a little needle to the ballsack?

Yup. I haven't met a woman yet that has opted to say "you know what I LOVE having the jaws of life jammed into my vagina and THAT'S why I make SURE to keep my OB appointments on schedule."

Procedures for dudes are way easier. Vasectomy was a one and done sure, and it involved a few doses of local anesthetic, delivered via a needle, into my balls. As well as the incision, and the cauterization. It was over in 30 minutes (or less!), and I went home, put a bag of frozen peas on my area, and alternated between watching Archer and catching up on games for a weekend.

And being waited on hand and foot for that night too. Now, she doesn't have to take BC, and I don't have to use protection. And it was covered by insurance.

We have it immensely easier, and while it's scary, and phobias are legit, it's worth it to (and I can't believe I'm saying this) man the fuck up and get a needle stuck in your ballsack.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Y'all know that, with the local anesthetic, you wouldn't even know, for the most part, that a needle is in your dick, right? Like, unless you forced yourself to look at the needle being inserted into your numb, inert penis, you're gold.

 

[Bleepey]

Some of you lot are wimps, a needle shot to have reversible side-effect free contraception. If i was any of your girlfriends i'd call you lot out for how easy you'd have it.

 

[tkscz]

As long as it's not like the last one and doesn't cause chances of fucking suicide and extreme testicular pain, then I say go for it.

 

[thespot84]

Be aware the RISUG and Vasalgel are different. RISUG messes with the sperm on their way out, Vasalgel completely blocks the vas deference and the sperm are reabsorbed (according the distributor). The RISUG mechanism of action is poorly understood though it seems to be very effective but it's worth reviewing the wiki article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversible_inhibition_of_sperm_under_guidance

 

[Ryuuroden]

This would be fantastic, my girlfriend can't take any bc or any other hormone because she becomes completely intolerable to be around due to the depression and anger it causes her. Bc for her also completely wipes out any sexual desire she has. We have 4 kids, don't want more.

 

[EdibleKnife]

Be aware the RISUG and Vasalgel are different. RISUG messes with the sperm on their way out, Vasalgel completely blocks the vas deference and the sperm are reabsorbed (according the distributor). The RISUG mechanism of action is poorly understood though it seems to be very effective but it's worth reviewing the wiki article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversible_inhibition_of_sperm_under_guidance

Ah. I'll edit my post

 

[theaffection]

Needle or not having this stuff directly in your little guys sounds fucking horrifying. Like, would you be able to feel that just sitting in there during everyday life?

You guys are crazy for being so open to this 😹

 

[CrocMother]

Needle or not having this stuff directly in your little guys sounds fucking horrifying. Like, would you be able to feel that just sitting in there during everyday life?

You guys are crazy for being so open to this 😹

Female birth control is worse

 

[LegendofJoe]

I'd totally go for this. Stab my johnson doctor!

 

[Akuun]

Sounds like a great option to have. Women's birth control pills wreak havoc on some women and cause things like weight gain, mood swings, lost libido, and so on.

Yes, taking a pill intended to make it more convenient to sleep with people can kill your desire to sleep with people. It's that bad.

If you could avoid putting your SO through all that, then that's great for everyone except these rich pharma guys.

 

[Grym]

Needle or not having this stuff directly in your little guys sounds fucking horrifying.

A scalpel (okay...it is probably a laser incision) to the same location seems like a much more horrifying option to me. shrugs

 

[wutwutwut]

Needle or not having this stuff directly in your little guys sounds fucking horrifying. Like, would you be able to feel that just sitting in there during everyday life?

You guys are crazy for being so open to this 😹

Have you seen how horrific hormonal birth control can be?

 

[Rentahamster]

If it's safe and reversible, I'd give it a shot. I've taken worse than a needle to the balls.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Trying to not jump on the "ITT dudes realize that women have been dealing with unpleasant birth control side effects/procedures forever" train but boy, it is hard to not pile on.

Like, I can understand an actual psychological phobia to needles or something like that...but otherwise, phew, gimme a break.

 

[Afrikan]

Seems like a rise in STDs is in store for the future.. for Single people and the new open relationship faze.

I'll stick to condoms or a legit committed relationship thank you.

 

[Wilsongt]

Inventor: Look at this great new way that men can be involved in the process of preventing unwanted and accidenta pregnancies! And it's cheap and reversible!

Drug companies: But muh profits!!!111!!

 

[Rentahamster]

Seems like a rise in STDs is in store for the future.. for Single people and the new open relationship faze.

I'll stick to condoms or a legit committed relationship thank you.

There might be a correlative relationship, but I think we can simplify birth control and control STD spread at the same time.

 

[Skyball Paint]

Parsemus is working on its own version, called Vasalgel, that it plans to manufacture and distribute at near cost—or potentially $10 to $20 per person in low- and middle-income countries—and $400 to $600 per person in wealthier markets,

And I'm sure "wealthier markets" include US working class, oh joy.

 

[theaffection]

Female birth control is worse

A scalpel (okay...it is probably a laser incision) to the same location seems like a much more horrifying option to me. shrugs

Have you seen how horrific hormonal birth control can be?

Why not condoms? That way the little guys and gals all stay safe and happy! Keep it simple 🙏

 

[Barzul]

Would absolutely do this. I really want control over my reproductive future. I'm only with one partner and would rather do this than keep buying condoms. Hope it takes off

 

[Afrikan]

Professional Sports players should be first in line to invest in this and make sure it comes to the market.

Spoiler

I couldn't do it GAF, I didn't have it in me to spell it "cums". Gettin old. :/

 

[Ashodin]

Have you seen how horrific hormonal birth control can be?

it's not in their body though, so who cares?

/s

And I'm sure "wealthier markets" include US working class, oh joy.

$400 to $600 for ten years seems a good rate.

 

[Barzul]

it's not in their body though, so who cares?

/s



$400 to $600 for ten years seems a good rate.

Seriously the fact that it's easily reversible is the real seller. I'd pay a grand out of pocket for something like this and I'm firmly middle class right now.

 

[Grym]

Why not condoms? That way the little guys and gals all stay safe and happy! Keep it simple ��

because I like to feel sex. Also I'm a married man with kids. Serious longterm options would be nice to have in addition to the simple 'sowing my wild oats' phase of life options.