Male Contraceptive Initiative Supports the Launch of Plan A™ Male Birth Control
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON AP News
FEBRUARY 2024
MCI grants $400K to support NEXT’s clinical trial research.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NEXT Life Sciences, Inc. (NEXT) is announcing its partnership with Male Contraceptive Initiative (MCI), the largest 501(c)(3) non-profit in the world dedicated to advancing male contraception. This partnership includes a grant of $400K to NEXT to support clinical trial research toward Plan A™, being developed as a long-acting, non-hormonal, reversible contraceptive method. This grant follows a successful fundraising round led by Bolt.com founder Ryan Breslow and The Family, with participation from Transform VC and a combination of angel investors and early-stage venture funds.
“We’re thrilled and extremely grateful to MCI for their commitment to excellence and innovation in the male contraceptive space,” said NEXT Life Sciences Founder and CEO L.R. Fox. “NEXT is dedicated to developing a contraceptive solution that will finally meet men’s need for long-term effectiveness, convenient reversibility, and ease of access. We want to improve the quality of life for men and couples by giving men equitable access to participate in family planning with an option like Plan A™. This investment from MCI will help accelerate our progress towards those goals.”
“NEXT Life Sciences represents an exciting partnership opportunity. They have been integral at advancing the non-hormonal male contraceptive field in an effort to provide reproductive equity to all people, and particularly men who, despite all the incredible efforts to date, still only have two methods of birth control: condoms and vasectomy,” said MCI Executive Director Heather Vahdat, MPH. “The number of men and their partners expressing the desire for male contraceptive options continues to increase, and part of MCI’s dedication to accelerating product development includes thinking proactively about how to ensure a variety of delivery options. We are pleased to be able to get behind the talent and energy of NEXT Life Sciences in order to achieve a real vision for a shared contraceptive future.”
“We have been excited about the progress of the Plan A™ technology since 2019, when we provided an initial grant to advance the work of Vasalgel®, the hydrogel in Plan A™. Given the success of their science to date, we are pleased to expand our collaboration as NEXT Life Sciences represents an exciting device-based, non-hormonal male contraceptive method.” continued MCI Chief Research Officer Logan Nickels, PhD. “It is critically important that we develop, in parallel, a robust and diverse mix of contraceptive products for men in order to ensure that individual’s unique needs and interests are meaningfully addressed by the next generation of male contraception. NEXT Life Sciences and their product Plan A™ represent an exciting opportunity to do just this by providing a device-based, long-acting, and reversible contraceptive for male users.”
“Plan A™ will be a great addition to the family planning options involving men and couples looking to prevent pregnancy,” said Dr. Aaron Tabor, Chief Technology Officer, NEXT Life Sciences. “With the advances we’ve made in testing and confirming the long-term durability of Plan A™, we’re thrilled to have this support from MCI to bring this technology to the world.”
“The landscape for contraception is rapidly changing, and as more men get involved in family planning, they need more options,” said Dr. Robert Kellar, Chief Science Officer at NEXT Life Sciences. “Our team at NEXT Life Sciences is extremely excited to get started on the funded work which is designed to help accelerate our technology to commercialization.”
Plan A™ is being developed by NEXT Life Sciences as a male contraceptive that would be administered during a quick outpatient procedure in which a biocompatible hydrogel, Vasalgel®, is placed within the vas deferens (the tubes that carry sperm), creating a flexible filter that prevents the flow of sperm. Plan A™ is designed to create up to 10 years of pregnancy prevention with the allowance for reversibility at any time through a second procedure to dissolve the gel.
Following the acquisition of the worldwide license to Vasalgel® in 2022 from the Parsemus Foundation, NEXT Life Sciences has pushed the technology forward, optimizing it into Plan A™, to bring it through FDA marketing authorization and finally to market. Backed by renowned clinicians and researchers within the contraceptive and hydrogel communities, the company has plans to start clinical trials for Plan A™ in 2024, followed by submission to the FDA for marketing authorization.
About NEXT Life Sciences: NEXT Life Sciences, Inc. (NEXT) is a medical device company striving to transform lives through the development of its lead program, Plan A™, designed to provide a non-hormonal, long-lasting, and reversible contraceptive solution for men. NEXT’s executive management team and board members have a proven track record of leadership across early-stage research, product development, and global commercialization, having served in leadership roles at successful medical device and contraceptive companies that developed and launched products that achieved iconic status. For more information, visit www.nextlifesciences.org and www.planaformen.com.
About Male Contraceptive Initiative: Male Contraceptive Initiative’s vision is “Reproduction Autonomy for All”, and works to accomplish this by bringing new male contraceptives to market. The non-profit accomplishes this through direct funding, technical support, research, and advocacy. They believe that couples deserve options and that they offer the biggest potential impact by focusing on male contraceptives. It’s time men are given more opportunities to contribute toward family planning. Please visit their website for more information: www.malecontraceptive.org.