A contraceptive aimed at males was found to be 99 percent effective in studies when tested on mice, researchers say.
The findings, released by the American Chemical Society (ACS) on Wednesday, said that human testing of a nonhormonal male contraceptive could start as early as the last half of 2022.
Abdullah Al Noman, a graduate student involved in the research, said "Scientists have been trying for decades to develop an effective male oral contraceptive."
The researchers said that most male birth control pills in development use hormones to target testosterone. The side effects can be tough, including depression and weight gain.
Noman said, "We wanted to develop a non-hormonal male contraceptive to avoid these side effects."
In the study, the ACS said "Currently, men have only two effective options for birth control: male condoms and vasectomy."
