Monthly birth control pill could be ready within years, say scientists

The first birth-control pill which can be taken just once a month will soon be trialled in humans, scientists have said.

The star-shaped device contains contraceptive chemicals in each of its arms, which over time release a steady supply.

It has been designed by researchers at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in the US who hope it could prevent the nine per cent of accidental pregnancies that occur each year in women on the pill, largely because they fail to take the drug consistently.

Dr Giovanni Traverso, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, and a gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said: “Through the development of these technologies, we aim to transform people’s experience with taking medications by making it easier, with more infrequent dosing in the first once-a-month, orally delivered drug system.

"Our capsule represents a major advancement toward providing women with a once-a-month contraceptive. For many, this may be hard to believe. But our preclinical data is encouraging us along that road.

“We’re very committed to getting these technologies to people over the coming years.”

The Gates Foundation has recently given the scientists nearly £10 million to develop the pill so that it can be tested on humans, and Dr Traverso said trials could start within three years.

Most drugs in the body only work for a short time because they pass rapidly through the stomach and intestines.

But the new device folds down into a gelatin-coated capsule which can be swallowed. Once the capsule dissolves, the arms unfold trapping it inside the stomach, and allowing it to release contraceptive drugs steadily over a three week period.

After that, the arms snap off, so that it can pass safely out of the body.

Tests in pigs show it can achieve the same concentration of the contraceptive drug in the bloodstream as a daily dose, for weeks at a time.

The star-shaped device is made of a special type of polyurethane which can survive the harsh acids in the stomach.

The researchers believe the long-lasting pill would be appealing for women who would prefer oral contraceptives over other long-term solutions such as intrauterine devices.

“Even with all these long-acting devices available, there’s a certain population who prefers to take medications orally rather than have something implanted,” Dr Ameya Kirtane of MIT.

“For those patients, something like this would be extremely helpful.”

The technique could also be useful for other conditions where patients fail to take medication, such as elderly people with Alzheimer’s, or those with mental health conditions.

Previous research has suggested that people are better at remembering to take medicine when they have to take it only weekly or monthly, instead of daily.

The researchers have already tested the device with malaria and HIV drugs, which currently have to be taken every day, sometimes multiple times.

“We are hopeful that this work — the first example ever of a month-long pill or capsule to our knowledge — will someday lead to potentially new options for women’s health as well as other indications,” says Dr Robert Langer, a professor at MIT.

The research was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.