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World's First Injectable Male Birth Control May Soon Arrive in India

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Clinical trials of the product have been completed, Indian researchers say.

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The world's first injectable male birth control may may finally be on its way to approval in India, according to news reports.

This week, researchers in India announced that they had completed clinical trials of the injectable male birth control known as RISUG, which stands for reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance, according to the Hindustan Times. The product is injected near the testicles and lasts up to 13 years, the researchers said. It has now been submitted to the Drug Controller General of India, the government department responsible for approving drugs in the country.

"The product is ready, with only regulatory approvals pending," Dr. R.S. Sharma, senior scientist at the Indian Council of Medical Research, which conducted the studies, told Hindustan Times. The lengthy trials involved more than 300 men and showed that the product had more than a 97% success rate at preventing pregnancy.

Originally published on Live Science. 

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Rachael Rettner
Rachael Rettner
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Rachael is a Live Science contributor, and was a former channel editor and senior writer for Live Science between 2010 and 2022. She has a master's degree in journalism from New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. She also holds a B.S. in molecular biology and an M.S. in biology from the University of California, San Diego. Her work has appeared in Scienceline, The Washington Post and Scientific American.