Where things stand

Last reviewed: October 24, 2026. All candidates are investigational and unapproved.

CandidateDeveloperTypeLatest status
YCT-529 Investigational · Not approvedYourChoice TherapeuticsDaily oral pill, non-hormonalPhase 1a (16 men, single doses) completed June 18, 2024 [1][2]. Phase 1b/2a repeat-dose study (28, 90 or 180 days; estimated 88 men; New Zealand) started Sept 11, 2024. Its listed completion date of July 31, 2026 has passed, but as of Oct 24, 2026 the registry still lists it as recruiting and no results are posted [3]. A scalable second-generation synthesis was published Oct 20, 2026 [8].
NES/T gel Investigational · Not approvedContraline (developed by Population Council with NICHD)Daily hormonal skin gel (segesterone acetate + testosterone)Global Phase 2b completed, 462 couples at 17 sites; company anticipates starting Phase 3 in 2027; $92.5M Series B announced June 2, 2026 [4][5]. Contraline hired a VP of Regulatory Affairs in Oct 2026 to prepare NES/T for Phase 3 [9].
ADAM Investigational · Not approvedContralineNon-hormonal hydrogel placed in the vas deferensFirst-in-human study (25 men, Australia) listed completed March 8, 2026 [6]. Contraline's pipeline now lists ADAM as “Phase 2 ready,” with Phase 2 planning underway [5]; it reported regulatory approval for a Phase 2 study in Australia in April 2025 [7].
Plan A Investigational · Not approvedNEXT Life SciencesNon-hormonal hydrogel injected into the vas deferensDescribed as advancing through U.S. clinical trials (Washington Post, Sept 30, 2026) [10]. Reversibility still needs to be shown in human trials [11].
PausePill (NLS-133) Investigational · Not approvedNEXT Life SciencesNon-hormonal pill taken before sex (effect intended ~24 hours)Reported to be in a small Phase 2 trial of 10 men; ability to prevent pregnancy unproven [11].
RISUG Investigational · Not approvedSujoy Guha (India)Non-hormonal hydrogel injected into the vas deferensReported to have completed Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies in India [12]; subject of the Sept 2026 documentary Give It a Shot [10]. Not approved in the U.S.
sAC-inhibitor on-demand pill Investigational · Not approvedWeill Cornell Medicine / Sacyl PharmaceuticalsNon-hormonal pill designed to be taken ~30 minutes before sexPreclinical. $8.2M, four-year NICHD grant announced Oct 23, 2026 to fund safety studies toward a first Phase 1 trial [13].

New global benchmarks: In September 2026 the WHO published its first target product profiles for novel male contraceptives, setting minimum and optimal targets for efficacy, safety, reversibility and acceptability across sperm-suppression, sperm-function and sperm-transport methods. They don’t approve any product.

Trial registry entries can lag real-world progress. We update this page when a developer, registry or peer-reviewed journal publishes new information.

Sources

  1. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06094283 (YCT-529 Phase 1a)
  2. Communications Medicine (2025): Safety and pharmacokinetics of YCT-529
  3. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06542237 (YCT-529 Phase 1b/2a)
  4. Contraline: $92.5M Series B announcement, June 2, 2026
  5. Contraline pipeline page
  6. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05134428 (ADAM first-in-human)
  7. Contraline: ADAM 24-month milestone, April 24, 2025
  8. Gantasala, Cheryala & Georg, J. Org. Chem. (Oct 20, 2026): Second-generation synthesis of the male contraceptive YCT-529
  9. Contraline on LinkedIn (Oct 2, 2026): John Kim joins as VP of Regulatory Affairs
  10. The Washington Post (Sept 30, 2026): The era of male birth control may be nearing
  11. Vice (Oct 12, 2026): Male birth control pills are in development
  12. Times of India (Oct 8, 2026): Beyond condoms: WHO blueprint for new male contraceptives
  13. Weill Cornell Medicine (Oct 23, 2026): NIH grant to test novel male contraceptive