Contraceptive Accelerator Network (CAN) ensures that every promising male contraceptive target receives the focused attention it needs to make headway.

We are a small, mission-centric pharmaceutical company ensuring that promising non-hormonal, reversible contraceptive options for those who produce sperm receive the support necessary for development as next generation birth control methods.

The Global Challenge

The existing contraceptive method mix is significantly skewed towards women and people with uteruses, meaning that these individuals are primarily responsible for preventing an unintended pregnancy.

For men and other sperm-producers, the only reversible method of contraception currently available is condoms (with a typical use failure rate of 12%). Vasectomy is also a contraceptive option, but it is intended to be permanent and reversing one can be challenging and expensive.

There are many reasons why this imbalance has persisted and still exists today:

• The narrow definition of “risk” when it comes to pregnancy that constrains it to only consider physical risks

• The complex nature of male reproductive biology (including the 1,000+ sperm produced each second) and our limited understanding of it

• The social and economic benefits that contraception has provided to women, leading to the belief among many that birth control is only for women

• The limited amount of funding into the research and development of new contraceptives, especially male-focused methods

The last point, funding, is particularly poignant as it can cost hundreds of millions of dollars (or more!) to bring a new drug to market.

Our Proposed Solution

We work creatively and nimbly to overcome the existing challenges in order to greatly expand the number of contraceptive methods for men and other sperm-producers beyond just condoms and vasectomy.

Increasing the number of contraceptive methods for men would greatly aid in empowering people with reproductive autonomy.

This would reduce the burden on women and egg-producers to manage family planning goals while also helping to reduce the 120+ million unintended pregnancies that occur globally every year.

In the United States, a novel contraceptive method for people who produce sperm could help reduce unintended pregnancy rates each year while also helping to meet the considerable demand that exists for these new contraceptives.