Every morning for a year and a half, Logan Whitehead, 24, rubbed a clear gel on his shoulders, waited for it to dry, then went about his day as usual. “It was basically like a hand sanitizer solution,” said Whitehead, who lives in Torrance, California. “Smelled like hand sanitizer, looked like hand sanitizer.” The gel wasn’t hand sanitizer, though. It was a hormonal solution meant to block Whitehead’s sperm production. The gel was male birth control.
“It’s honestly very similar to the experience patients have after a vasectomy,” he said. “Some of these patients had light bruising and swelling, which go away on their own.” Contraline hopes to start testing ADAM in the U.S. in 2025. Because Contraline is developing ADAM as a medical device and not a drug, it may be able to go through a speedier clinical trial and regulatory process than contraceptive drugs like the hormonal gel, experts suggest.