Scientists reveal new birth control pill for men, said to be 99% effective

This follows the scientists' announcement that they had run positive tests in lab rats at the American Chemical Society's spring meeting on Wednesday.

They added that the tests on mice revealed no obvious side effects, and that the pills could help to balance the contraceptive burden, as men have far fewer options.

Dr. Abdullah Al Noman, who presented the research at the meeting, believes that the new discovery will make birth control easier for men.

"Scientists have been trying for decades to develop an effective male oral contraceptive, but there are still no approved pills on the market," said Dr.Abdullah.

Men only have access to single-use condoms, which are prone to failure, and largely irreversible vasectomies, according to Dr.Abullah, who elaborated on the challenges.

Vasectomies, on the other hand, are mostly associated with male sterilization that is permanent.

Researchers said the surgery is always costly for men as opposed to women who can take several pills or use patches or intrauterine devices and be effective.

"We wanted to develop a non-hormonal male contraceptive to avoid these side effects," Dr Noman, a graduate student in the Gunda Georg laboratory at the University of Minnesota, said.

The team now hopes to begin human clinical trials in the second half of this year.