Interest in male birth control has increased in recent years, especially since the United States overturned Roe v. Wade, who protected a woman's right to have an abortion. Since then, states have tried to make abortion nearly impossible, prompting increased attention to contraceptives to allow both men and women more control over family planning. This conversation has led to the topic of male birth control, something that perhaps doctors have not yet fully mastered.
Kevin Eisenfrats is the founder of contraline, a company that has developed male contraceptives. Einsfrats talked about the creation of this company, the medical tests carried out and the medical innovation he had to create to make it all possible. TechCrunch Found Podcast.
“Believe it or not, people have been working on male contraceptives since the female contraceptive pill came out in 1960,” Einsfrats told Found. “So it's not that this is a forgotten area of research. The thing is that science is very, very difficult.”
Einsfrats was inspired to launch her company after watching the MTV show “16 and Pregnant.” Years later, Contraline's latest product, ADAM, is entering clinical trials in Australia, a country he says has until now been more receptive to the idea of male contraception. He plans to travel to the United States soon and is preparing for the lengthy FDA approval process. So far, Einsfrats has had no difficulty raising funds and says there has been a lot of support even given the American political climate, and he says the debates have only increased interest in his work.
“We attract a certain type of investor who is really here for the long term,” he continued.
He also talked about the importance of hiring the right team when it comes to a product like this and discussed some of the challenges that come with being the founder of a medical startup. For him especially, there have been regulatory hurdles, fundraising and medical hypothesis testing before finding the right one.
All the challenges have made him and his team stronger, he said, hinting that he would one day like to expand into Europe and other markets. He also talked about possibly wanting to find ways to use his technology to develop non-hormonal female contraceptives, addressing other types of reproductive health issues that remain unsolved.
“We want to address these big unsolved reproductive health problems,” she said. “We're willing to take that risk that others aren't willing to take.”
