TL;DR
Today, men's birth control comes down to condoms or a vasectomy. A Washington State University scientist has a computer-designed candidate for a third kind, one with no hormones in it. Called Alphatide, it is a peptide, a short chain of protein building blocks, that blocks proteins sperm need in order to form. In mice the effect wore off when the treatment stopped, and the university reported no health problems, though its release gives no numbers. A new two-year grant pays for the last round of animal tests that come before any human trial, and the lead researcher thinks he can apply to the FDA to start testing it in people within about three years. It joins a pipeline that already has a hormone gel, a non-hormonal pill and injected plugs in human testing. To see our odds on when men get a hormone-free option at the pharmacy, and the timeline of breakthroughs that leads there, subscribe.
Below the line, for paid subscribers: The full story: where it stands, how we got here and what's dated next; our labeled speculation on what it adds up to; and every source.