Dear Dr. Zerhouni :
I am writing to you because I believe the National Institutes of Health should make the development of new male contraceptives a funding priority. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has been instrumental in advancing work in this field, and with increased support their work could bring us much closer to marketable male contraceptive.
I am an advocate of male contraceptives because, as the world's population continues to grow, the demand for better family planning options also increases. Studies show that existing contraceptive methods have dismal satisfaction rates, due to undesirable side effects and inefficacy.
Male contraceptives could be safer, more effective and easier to use than any existing female methods. World Health Organization research in countries of diverse cultures and varying socioeconomic resources has shown that men desire new family planning options, and their partners are ready for them to share the responsibility. Men already participate widely in family planning, but their only choices are unreliable condoms or irreversible vasectomies. With the NIH's help, I think we can do better than that.
The work of NICHD\'s Contraceptive and Reproductive Health Branch (CRHB) has already brought many advances in the basic science of andrology. Their work with multicenter clinical trials promises to bring advances in application. The CRHB is one of the only agencies in the world working to advance the exploration of non-hormonal male methods. Their collaboration with the WHO, CONRAD, university research departments and pharmaceutical companies puts them in a unique position of leadership.
As a steward of medical research for the nation, the entire NIH are in a unique position. The work of developing new contraceptives is politically controversial. The costs of drug development are nearly prohibitive. Pharmaceuticals laboring under the misconception that the market for a male contraceptive is too small are even less likely to pursue drug development. I believe that in such circumstances, the NIH has a social responsibility to help bring male contraceptives to market. The CRHB's leadership in this field will be lauded by many generations of men and women to come.
Please consider using some of the Roadmap funding for interdisciplinary and training initiatives specifically to advance the work of male contraceptive researchers, and increasing the operational budget of the CRHB. The Future of Male Contraception conference sponsored by the CRHB in 2004 was a modest expense but has resulted in new and productive collaborations. Regular earmarked funding for such a conference would be a low cost, high payoff investment in the development of new male contraceptives.
Thank you for your consideration.
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