Interest in birth control among men has increased in recent years, particularly since the United States overturned Roe v. Wade, which protected women’s rights to abortion. Since then, states have attempted to make abortion nearly impossible, prompting a greater focus on contraceptives to allow men and women more control over family planning. That conversation led to the topic of male birth control – something doctors may not yet have mastered.
Kevin Eisenfrats is the founder of Contraline, a company that developed a male contraceptive in the form of a non-hormonal sperm-blocking gel injected into the scrotum. Einsfrats discussed building this company, the medical testing required, and the medical innovation he had to create to make it all possible on TechCrunch’s 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 like it’s a forgotten area of research. It’s just that science is really, really hard.
Einsfrats got the idea to start her business after watching the MTV show “16 and Pregnant.” Years later, Contraline’s latest product, ADAM, is undergoing clinical trials in Australia, a country he says has so far been the most 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 hasn’t had the most difficulty raising money – and says he’s received plenty of support, even given the US political climate, saying the debates have only increased interest in his work.
“We attract a certain type of investor who is really in it for the long term,” he continued.
He also talked about the importance of hiring the right team when dealing with a product like this and explained some of the challenges of being the founder of a medical startup. For him in particular, there were regulatory hurdles, fundraising and testing the medical hypothesis before landing on the right one.
All the challenges have made him and his team stronger, he said, and he hinted that he would like to one day expand into Europe and other markets. He also discussed his desire to find ways to use his technology to develop non-hormonal female contraceptives, thereby addressing other types of reproductive health issues that remain unresolved.
“We want to tackle these big, unsolved reproductive health issues,” he said. “We are willing to take risks that others are not willing to take.”
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