World’s Leading Vasectomists and Male Contraceptive Experts Join in Support of Plan A: Male Birth Control

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON AP NEWS

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, August 4, 2023

NEXT Life Sciences, the team developing a long-lasting, reversible contraceptive for men known as Plan A™, announced new appointments to its Medical Advisory Board. This follows the recent appointments of Dr. Charles Carignan to lead Plan A™’s clinical trials as Chief Medical Officer and Cindy Domecus, R.A.C. as Chief Regulatory Advisor to guide the company as it navigates the FDA approval process.

The Medical Advisory Board will provide expertise, guidance, and medical insight to the NEXT Life Sciences leadership team as the company advances through their clinical trials. The latest appointees are each renowned clinicians and researchers within their fields, with their expertise spanning across all corners of the male reproductive health, vasectomy, and andrology spaces.

NEXT Life Sciences is proud introduce the following members to its Medical Advisory Board:

Dr. John Amory, who has published more than 130 peer-reviewed papers in the field of male reproduction and serves on the Advisory Board of the Male Contraception Initiative. He is currently Professor of Medicine and Section Head of General Internal Medicine at the University of Washington, where he works as an attending physician on the inpatient medicine wards and in the outpatient General Internal Medicine and Men’s Health Clinics.

Dr. Michael Eisenberg, who currently directs the Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery Program at Stanford University. Dr. Eisenberg serves as an associate editor of Fertility and Sterility and Andrology and on the editorial boards of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism and the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics. He is highly regarded both nationally and internationally and has delivered welcomed and celebrated lectures all over the globe.

Dr. Ron Weiss, who is referred to as the “Wayne Gretzky of vasectomies,” has performed nearly 60,000 vasectomies throughout his 30-year career, and is known as one of the most skilled practitioners of the no-scalpel vasectomy. In 2002 Dr. Weiss developed and refined the no-needle jet injector method of local anesthesia now used in Canada and around the world.

Dr. Doug Stein, who practiced adult general urology for over 17 years in Tampa, Florida, and now provides vasectomy services at up to 21 locations in Florida, many under the federal Title 10 program for low-income men without insurance. He is the Co-Founder of World Vasectomy Day, the largest annual male-oriented family planning event in history. He has performed over 50,000 vasectomies and 1900 vasectomy reversals.

L.R. Fox, CEO of NEXT Life Sciences, shared his enthusiasm around these new appointments and the expertise they bring to NEXT with their years of insight into the field of male contraception. “Truly, we are beyond excited to welcome these newest members of our Medical Advisory Board,” Fox said. “Bringing together the world’s most accomplished vasectomists and contraceptive leaders, that also share our vision of making long-lasting, reversible male contraception a tangible option in the market, is a dream come true for the team. With our previously appointed CMO, Dr. Carignan, and Chief Regulatory Advisor, Cindy Domecus, joining forces with this Medical Advisory Board we can hardly wait for what’s to come as we enter into clinical trials to bring Plan A™ one step closer to hitting the market.”

About NEXT Life Sciences

NEXT Life Sciences, Inc. (NEXT) is a medical device company striving to transform lives through the development of its lead program, Plan A™, designed to provide a non-hormonal, long-lasting, and reversible contraceptive solution for men. NEXT’s executive management team and board members have a proven track record of leadership across early-stage research, product development, and global commercialization, having served in leadership roles at successful medical device and contraceptive companies that developed and launched products that achieved iconic status. For more information, visit https://www.nextlifesciences.org/ and https://www.planaformen.com/.

Disclaimer

All forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Statements within this document have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Plan A™ is currently not approved by FDA for commercial distribution.

General Contact:
info@planaformen.com

Media Contact:
press@planaformen.com

Male birth control could be the next step in preventing pregnancy

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON PACIFIC COAST BUSINESS TIMES

BY JAKE PIAZZA FRIDAY, JULY 21ST, 2023

There is no form of long-acting reversible contraception for men approved by the FDA. San Luis Obispo-based NEXT Life Sciences is hoping to change that.

READ MORE ON PACIFIC COAST BUSINESS TIMES

NEXT Life Sciences Announces Dr. Charles Carignan as Chief Medical Officer and Cindy Domecus as Chief Regulatory Advisor

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON FOX 2 NEWS

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, July 18, 2023

NEXT Life Sciences, the team developing Plan A™, a long-lasting, reversible contraceptive for men, announced today its appointment of Dr. Charles Carignan as its Chief Medical Officer and its new Chief Regulatory Advisor, Cindy Domecus, R.A.C.

“At NEXT we’re thrilled to be bringing on high-caliber leaders in the field of men’s contraception," said L.R. Fox, Chief Executive Officer of NEXT Life Sciences. “Dr. Carignan shares our vision of making the promise of a long-lasting male contraceptive finally a reality. With his addition, alongside our new Chief Regulatory Advisor, NEXT is gearing up for the next major phase of development for Plan A™.”

In his role as Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Carignan will lead Plan A™’s clinical trials and provide medical and clinical oversight to NEXT’s team of scientists and researchers.

Dr. Carignan brings with him extensive medical expertise, having served on committees of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Additionally, he has led multiple successful corporations, serving as the founding president and CEO of NinePoint Medical, President and CEO of BionX Medical, and CEO of SoniVie Inc., and currently serves as the Executive Chairman of Cairdac and SamanTree Medical. He was also previously Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Novasys Medical, Chief Medical Officer of Endosurgery at Boston Scientific, and Vice President of Clinical Research and Medical Affairs at Conceptus, Inc. Training in general surgery at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, Dr. Carignan continues to conduct physical training worldwide promoting the advancement of medical techniques and technology.

NEXT has also brought on Cindy Domecus, R.A.C. as Chief Regulatory Advisor to guide the company as it navigates the FDA approval process through clinical trials and ultimately to market. Domecus brings a strong background in both contraception and implantable medical devices, with over 35 years in the medical device industry, having served in both Regulatory Affairs and Clinical Research executive management positions since 1994. Domecus served in executive roles in Regulatory Affairs and Clinical Research for Conceptus, Inc. and Kyphon Inc., and in management roles in Regulatory Affairs for Systemix and Collagen Corporation. She was selected by the FDA to serve as the Industry Representative to the OB/GYN Devices panel, where she served a six-year term. Her experience and leadership have resulted in successful PMA, De Novo, 510(k), Breakthrough Device Designation, IDE, Pre-Submission and regulatory compliance efforts.

“This is an exciting time for Plan A™,” said NEXT CEO L.R. Fox. “With the demand for male contraceptives increasing, a priced equity funding round well underway, and the leading minds in male birth control options joining our team, we’re thrilled at the opportunity in front of us to finally move into clinical trials to make the promise of long-lasting, non-hormonal reversible male contraception a reality.”

About NEXT Life Sciences

NEXT Life Sciences, Inc. (NEXT) is a medical device company striving to transform lives through the development of its lead program, Plan A™, designed to provide a non-hormonal, long-lasting, and reversible contraceptive solution for men. NEXT’s executive management team and board members have a proven track record of leadership across early-stage research, product development, and global commercialization, having served in leadership roles at successful medical device and contraceptive companies that developed and launched products that achieved iconic status. For more information, visit https://www.nextlifesciences.org/ and https://www.planaformen.com/.

Disclaimer

All forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Statements within this document have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Plan A™ is currently not approved by FDA for commercial distribution.

General Contact:
info@planaformen.com

Media Contact:
press@planaformen.com

Bipartisan Congressional Briefing: Insights and Opportunities to Improve Family Planning Options for Maternal Wellbeing

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY TODAY

The Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health & NEXT Life Sciences held a Congressional briefing on developments in family planning, including male contraception.

View the entire recording of this brief here.

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, July 12, 2023

The Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, in collaboration with NEXT Life Sciences, Inc., hosted a briefing to inform members of Congress on the latest developments within family planning, including novel male contraception and the impact that unplanned pregnancy has on maternal mental health and wellbeing.

This briefing outlined current federal family planning policies, the status of access to contraception in the states, the economic and tax impacts of unplanned pregnancy, innovative contraceptive options for men, and a proposal containing recommendations for new federal and state policies to support maternal wellbeing.

The speakers presenting insights during this briefing are:

- Moderator: Brittni Frederiksen, MPH, PhD, KFF Health News
- Priya Bathija, JD, Board Member, the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health
- Jason Lindo, PhD, Texas A&M University
- Kelli Stidham Hall, PhD, MS, Columbia University
- L.R. Fox, CEO of Next Life Sciences + Plan A™ Male Contraception
- Lisa Peterson, COO of Victa Life
- Joy Burkhard, Executive Director of the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health

Links to view the briefing online:

- Recording Link
- Slides, Speaker Biographies

The briefing educated Congress and the general public on the following:

- The latest developments in family planning, including access to contraception

- The economic impact of mistimed/unintended pregnancy on women, families, and society

- Research on the impact of unintended pregnancy (and maternal mental health)

- An innovative product, Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) for men

- Policy recommendations to improve access to family planning services

Policy recommendations as outlined by The Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health include:

States:
- Remaining States Should Expand Medicaid Under the Affordable Care Act
- Remaining States Should Extend Medicaid Coverage to 12 months postpartum
- Should Apply for Family Planning Benefit Waivers
- Should Provide Medicaid Coverage of Community-Based Health Workers

Health Insurers:
- Group Health Plans, Insurers, and Regulators Should Ensure Compliance with the Contraception provisions of the Preventive Care benefit under the Affordable Care Act
- Should Improve Access to the Family Planning Counseling Benefit
- Should Reduce Barriers to Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARCs)
- Should Cover All FDA-Approved Contraception
- Should Cover 12-month Supplies of Birth Control Pills
- Should Cover FDA-Approved Over-the-Counter Contraception

Federal Government:
- Congress Should Support Access to Contraception
- Congress Should Support Expanding Access to Family Planning
- Congress Should Establish Permanent, Nationwide 12-month Postpartum Medicaid Coverage in a Year-End Legislative Package
- Congress Should Support Families with Unplanned Pregnancies Through Social and Child Supports
- FDA Should Approve Over-the-Counter Oral Contraception

Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), Accreditation Bodies and Health Delivery Systems:
- The Person-Centered Contraceptive Counseling (PCCC) Measure Should be Adopted

About The Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health
The Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health (the “Policy Center”) is working to prevent the suffering of mothers, babies, and families associated with untreated maternal mental health disorders, like postpartum depression. The Policy Center has driven the national conversation from one centered around raising awareness of one disorder, postpartum depression, to building a movement to address maternal mental health. The organization's work centers around closing gaps in the healthcare system by scaling change through the identification of evidence-based and emerging solutions, cross-sector collaboration, and advancing legislative and regulatory policy solutions. For more information, visit http://www.PolicyCenterMMH.org and follow @PolicyCenterMMH on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About NEXT Life Sciences
NEXT Life Sciences, Inc. (NEXT) is a medical device company striving to transform lives through the development of its lead program, Plan A™, designed to provide a non-hormonal, long-lasting, and reversible contraceptive solution for men. NEXT’s executive management team and board members have a proven track record of leadership across early-stage research, product development, and global commercialization, having served in leadership roles at successful medical device and contraceptive companies that developed and launched products that achieved iconic status. For more information, visit https://www.nextlifesciences.org/ and https://www.planaformen.com/.

Disclaimer
All forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Statements within this document have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Plan A™ is currently not approved by FDA for commercial distribution.

General Contact The Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health:
sarah.johanek@policycentermmh.org

Media Contact for NEXT Life Sciences + Plan A™:
press@planaformen.com

StartUp Health Insights: Sami Closes $18M Series B and NEXT Life Sciences Raises Seed Round

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STARTUP HEALTH

This week’s funding included two StartUp Health companies taking on diverse health moonshot challenges.

Sami, a health insurance startup that aims to revolutionize the Brazilian private healthcare system, raised $18M in a Series B round led by Redpoint eventures and Mundi Ventures, with participation from Endeavor Catalyst, Didi Digital Horizon, Tau Ventures, Valor Capital, Mancora Ventures, and others. <source>

NEXT Life Sciences, a Los Angeles, CA-based company advancing Plan A™, a reversible contraceptive solution for men, raised $1.55M in Seed funding from undisclosed investors…

READ MORE ON STARTUP HEALTH

NEXT Life Sciences Raises $1.55M for Plan A, Its Male Contraceptive

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON FEMTECH INSIDER

NEXT Life Sciences is set to revolutionize contraception with Plan A, a safe, effective, and reversible birth control method for men. Responding to the growing demand for male contraceptives, NEXT aims to initiate clinical trials by the end of 2023.

Plan A utilizes Vasalgel, a proprietary hydrogel acquired by NEXT, to provide a reliable contraceptive solution for men. Instead of permanently cutting the vas deferens, the hydrogel acts as a flexible filter, blocking sperm flow and preventing pregnancy. Preclinical studies have shown rapid restoration of sperm flow after the hydrogel is dissolved and flushed from the vas deferens.

NEXT Life Sciences CEO L.R. Fox shares: “In developing Plan A…

READ MORE ON FEMTECH INSIDER

$1.55M Raised for Plan A™ Male Birth Control Product, Seeking Clinical Trials in 2023

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON YAHOO! FINANCE

After years in development by the Parsemus Foundation, NEXT Life Sciences, Inc. has announced its plans to bring a new contraceptive product to market through Plan A™ – a safe, effective, reversible birth control for men.

"In developing Plan A™, NEXT has seen increasing demand for male contraception and a growing interest among investors that see male contraception as an untapped field, ripe for innovation," said L.R. Fox, CEO of NEXT Life Sciences, Inc. "Our goal for Plan A™ is to become men's first choice for family planning. Reaching that goal starts with bringing on the right investors who are interested in entering the male contraceptive market on the ground floor."

Plan A™ utilizes Vasalgel®, a proprietary hydrogel acquired by NEXT. The Plan A™ procedure is similar to that of a no-scalpel vasectomy – except instead of permanently cutting the vas deferens, the hydrogel acts as a flexible filter to block the flow of sperm, preventing pregnancy. Preclinical studies demonstrated rapid restoration of sperm flow after Vasalgel® was dissolved and flushed from the vas deferens.

With the goal to initiate clinical trials by the end of 2023, NEXT has brought together leading family planning experts to join their Medical Advisory Board, including Dr. Charles Carignan, an experienced CEO and former CMO of Boston Scientific, with extensive contraceptive development experience with Conceptus, WHO, FDA, and USAID. "Men want a reliable, reversible, non-hormonal birth control that's easy to use," said Dr. Carignan. "Plan A™ has the promise of revolutionizing birth control – and NEXT is ready to make that promise a reality."

NEXT just initiated a venture-backed priced equity round to support the development and commercialization of Plan A™. This comes following a successful, oversubscribed $1.55M seed round this year.

NEXT Life Sciences, Inc. (NEXT) is a medical device company striving to transform lives through Plan A™, a safe, effective, and reversible contraceptive solution for men. NEXT's leadership has a proven track record across early-stage research, development, and commercialization with successful medical device and contraceptive companies.

Disclaimer

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Statements within this document have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products have not been approved to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Viable male birth control options could be on the horizon

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STATES NEWSROOM

BY: Kelcie Moseley-Morris

PHOTO BY: Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Read the rest of this post on STATES NEWSROOM

NEXT Life Sciences Announces Launch of Plan A™ Birth Control for Men

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON PR NEWSWIRE

BY: Life Science Intelligence

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., March 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, NEXT Life Sciences, Inc. (NEXT) announced its plans to bring a new contraceptive product for men to market, Plan A™. NEXT is developing Plan A™ to be a safe, effective, fully reversible birth control solution for men.

Read the rest of this post on PR NEWSWIRE

Birth control options for men are advancing. Here’s how they work.

PHOTOGRAPH: Micrograph By D. Phillips, Science Photo Library

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

BY: Sarah Gibbens

From gels and pills to implants, the contraceptive choices accessible to most men may soon expand beyond condoms and vasectomies.

Read the rest of this post on NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

The weird reasons there still isn't a male contraceptive pill.

PHOTOGRAPH: Getty Images

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON BBC FUTURE

BY: Zaria Gorvett

Many side-effects deemed unacceptable in the male pill have been plaguing women for decades. Is there a double standard?

Read the rest of this post on BBC FUTURE

NEXT Life Sciences Is Making Effective, Reversible Male Contraceptive a Reality

Challenge

Globally, nearly half of all pregnancies are unplanned. Yes, half. One of the most important decisions of someone’s life–whether or not to have a child–is often the result of chance. There are big picture health equity issues that contribute to unplanned pregnancies: things like education levels, access to birth control and healthcare, and gender inequality. Then there’s the human error side of it: old condoms, forgotten pills, miscalculated fertility cycles.

Historically, women have shouldered the burden of pregnancy prevention, often turning to hormonal birth control methods to ensure they don’t have a child. For most of their adult life, women using these methods endure side effects that can range from annoying (weight gain, unusual hair growth, breast tenderness) to concerning (nausea, mood changes, blood pressure risks) to harmful (migraines, cardiovascular disease and blood clots, and breast cancer).

As reproductive health issues play out in the headlines, there’s been growing press around the idea of better male birth control, something that would help couples share the onus of responsibility for unplanned pregnancies. The two current main options for men–condoms and vasectomies–don’t get the job done. Condoms have a 18% failure rate and a 57% dissatisfaction rate, making compliance difficult to achieve across the population. The pain and discomfort associated with vasectomy make it less popular with men. But more significantly, vasectomy is considered permanent contraception since the ability to reverse the vasectomy by reattachment of the vas deferens requires expensive microsurgery and restabilizing patency of the vas deferens is unpredictable, making it an unappealing option for younger men who might want to have a child sometime down the road.

In recent years, researchers have worked on cracking the code for hormone-based birth control for men. The news of the trial phases of “the male pill” produced a fair bit of understandable glee and ribbing from the half of the population who have suffered the side effects of hormonal birth control for years. While they are still under development, the fact of the matter is that hormonal contraception for men comes with the same laundry list of problems as hormonal contraception for women–physical and emotional side effects, difficulty adhering to a schedule, issues of access and supply.

There needs to be a better way. No one, whether they have testes or ovaries, should have to suffer the side effects of hormonal birth control. No one should have to choose between having an unplanned pregnancy or increasing their risk of certain cancers. The decision to have a child shouldn’t be a game of chance. Whether someone works in tech in downtown Seattle or raises cattle in the Paraguayan Chaco, they need a long-lasting, safe, and practical solution to preventing pregnancy.

Origin Story

Growing up in the foster care system of California, L.R. Fox saw firsthand the consequences of unintended pregnancies. He remembers a particular moment as a teenager when he looked around his group home and saw the chaos around him–things like abuse, poverty, domestic violence–and thought so much of it could have been prevented if people got to choose when they had a child.

“It’s a systemic problem that affects every class of society. People should be able to effectively choose when to bring a child into the world.”

Fox is not the type to ignore a problem. At age 19, he launched WhiteFox Defense Technologies, when he recognized the security and safety issues the booming drone industry created. He worked with Congress to pass legislation that guided safe integration of drone usage into society and grew the company into one of the most influential thought leaders in the counter-drone and airspace management arena, earning him a spot on the Forbes list of 30 under 30 in 2019 at the age of 23.

Moving from aerospace to male birth control might seem like a leap, but as Fox explains, he’s drawn to “solving big problems that everyone recognizes and yet no one is doing anything about.” As he worked with Congress to solve airspace issues around future potentialities like flying taxis, it struck him as ridiculous to be thinking about flying taxis as a nation when we haven’t even cracked the code on how to reliably prevent unplanned pregnancies, particularly when it comes to the man’s role.

Fox started exploring solutions for effective male birth control and came across the work of Parsemus Foundation and its founder Elaine Lissner, known as the “Mother of Male Birth Control.” After decades of experimentation with various potential methods, Lissner and her team discovered a safe and effective method of non-hormonal male contraception known as RISUG (Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance). Developed in India and initiated in 1979, RISUG involves injecting a polymer gel into the vas deferens which allow fluids, but not sperm, to pass through the channel. After successful use in around 1,000 patients, RISUG was shown to be a safe and effective solution. Parsemus expanded on those learnings and optimized the formula and procedure to increase accessibility, naming the new product Vasalgel.

Vasalgel solves the major problems of other male birth control options. It takes 10 minutes to implement; it does not involve removing, cutting, cauterizing, or crimping tissue; it lasts for 10 years; and it is designed to be completely reversible at any time by another simple injection which dissolves the gel. There’s no need to remember to take a pill every day or have a condom on hand, making it a more practical option for rural communities or those lacking access to regular medical care. It is easily reversible, unlike a vasectomy, so when a person wants to start a family they can. It can be reinstated at any time after removal, and it is non-hormonal, making it safe to use without fearing the side effects.

As a non-profit, the Parsemus Foundation focused its efforts on proving Vasalgel safe and effective through trials and studies, as well as proving the demand and need for it. They were looking for a commercialization partner, someone to create the market for such a product and dispel some of the cartoonish misconceptions about male birth control, someone with experience shaping a nascent industry through legislation and messaging. In short, they were looking for someone exactly like Fox at the very same time Fox was looking for an answer to the global issue of family planning.

Under the Hood

NEXT Life Sciences exists to develop and distribute Vasalgel technology, a non-hormonal, long-lasting, reversible form of male birth control that empowers its users to choose if and when they bring a child into this world. In short, NEXT Life is creating a scalable and accessible global solution to the 85 million unintended pregnancies that occur each year.

Through preclinical studies, NEXT Life zeroed in on the optimized formula of Vasalgel that combines maximum efficacy for both contraception and reversal. They’re conducting one final study of this formula before moving into clinical trials in 2023. Currently over 50,000 people across the world are on the interest list for the product.

“We have the proof of concept. Now we are working to make this the standard of care,” says Fox.

To that end, NEXT Life is about to announce its medical advisory team, composed of some of the world’s foremost vasectomists. Fox says the physicians have greeted the news of Vasalgel technology with enthusiasm. “They love it because it is faster, easier, and in review of its use in India, has been demonstrated to be safe. It also has pragmatic value to a doctor because of the vastly bigger market size it offers.” Most vasectomies are performed on men over the age of 45; Vasalgel has the potential to work for nearly every sexually active man.

A large part of the task ahead for NEXT Life is changing some of the norms and expectations regarding contraception. It’s a messaging challenge, one the company’s Chief Marketing Officer, Dan Connolly, is meeting head on.

“It really is a cultural opportunity, the starting point of a revolution,” Connolly explains. “We want to shift the narrative to the idea of freedom–Vasalgel is about the freedom of deciding when to have a child. It’s about setting people and families up for success.”

NEXT Life is fundraising to build out its research and development and communications teams as they head towards FDA approval. They plan to implement a phased launch in 2024, rolling out different delivery methods that capitalize on their current demand before growing to private and public insurance funding and government grants.

“The question is how to introduce a brand new technology into the lives of people some would say are adverse,” says Fox. “We plan to show them the value of getting to exercise the right to not have a child if you don’t want to have a child. Men should have a choice, and it should be a shared opportunity to make that choice.”

Why We’re Proud to Invest

Sometimes a company comes along that dares to disrupt not only the method in which healthcare is delivered but a society’s fundamental way of thinking about healthcare. NEXT Life is one of those companies. StartUpHealth is proud to invest in NEXT Life’s innovative, patented male contraceptive technology that is turning birth control on its head.

Part of our enthusiasm stems from Fox’s successful track record at creating scalable, accessible solutions in highly-regulated industries. Through his work at WhiteFox in the aerospace industry and as a Vice Chair of the Chamber of Commerce, Fox proved himself able to navigate legislative and cultural minefields to create deliverables that work on different scales in different contexts. We can’t wait to see how he does the same in the contraceptive care space.

NEXT Life is also poised to capitalize on the current cultural moment, when there’s a groundswell of interest in male contraception. It’s well positioned in the growing marketplace of solutions as something that works for most men, at any stage of life. Part of this marketplace revolution comes from the recent Supreme Court decision to limit abortion access. As Fox put it, “no matter which side of the aisle you are on, both sides can agree that the less you are putting a woman in the position of needing an abortion, the better it is for society.” Vasalgel technology does just that.

Please join us in welcoming NEXT Life Sciences to the StartUp Health team. We can’t wait to see what the next few years hold for them.

Learn more and connect with the NEXT Life Sciences team. Then join us at the StartUp Health Festival @ HLTH to meet Fox and dozens of other Health Transformers in person.

This article was originally posted by StartUp Health

‘Snip Snip Hooray’: Vasectomies Among the Young and Child-Free May Be Rising

PHOTOGRAPH: Antonio Giovanni Pinna

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON THE NEW YORK TIMES

BY: Alisha Haridasani Gupta

Once the purview of middle-aged dads, this form of contraception is growing in popularity, according to doctors — and a few outspoken men on TikTok.

Read the rest of this post on THE NEW YORK TIMES

After Roe, Men Might Finally Get Better Birth Control

PHOTOGRAPH: Anna Efetova/Getty Images

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON WIRED

BY: Emily Mullin

Men don’t have many options when it comes to pregnancy prevention—but the time may finally be right for a men’s version of the pill.

Read the rest of this post on WIRED

“Mother of Male Birth Control” Selects Forbes 30 Under 30 Tech Entrepreneur to Bring Non-Surgical, Reversible Male Contraceptive to Market

The Overturn of Roe v. Wade Places Additional Urgency on Male Birth Control

For over a decade, Elaine Lissner, Founder of Parsemus Foundation and Revolution Contraceptives, LLC, has led the development of Vasalgel, a long-lasting, reversible male birth control. Today, Lissner announced that Revolution Contraceptives has turned over the technology to NEXT Life Sciences, Inc. and its Founder and CEO L.R. Fox.

“We are thrilled to announce that NEXT will be taking over the development of this innovative medical technology. Getting a viable, reversible contraceptive option for men to market has been a lifelong goal of mine, and in light of the erosion of women's reproductive rights, it is even more pressing to have additional options to prevent unintended pregnancies,” Lissner said. “Fox and the team at NEXT are well positioned to complete the development of this flexible hydrogel contraceptive. Passionate supporters around the world are eagerly awaiting Vasalgel. We are excited to support Fox and NEXT as they take it over the finish line.”

Lissner, referred to by some as a “Mother of Male Birth Control,” first became interested in advancing male contraception over three decades ago, while in her freshman year at Stanford University. For decades, she has tenaciously pursued this goal by increasing awareness about reproductive equity, conveying the public’s demand to policymakers, and founding organizations to further support research on male contraceptives.

In 2010, Lissner’s nonprofit licensed RISUG, a male contraceptive developed in India. This began the journey to a new contraceptive called Vasalgel, which NEXT will now prepare for human trials. Lissner sought a partner with the resources and mission-alignment to lead the last phases of the project and selected L.R. Fox, a successful tech entrepreneur and Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient with a passion for improving society. Fox is the Founder and CEO of NEXT Life Sciences, a developer and distributor of medical technology that will empower people to choose when and if to have a child.

“We at NEXT are passionate about bringing this promising male birth control solution to market at a time when many men are seeking ways to be more involved in reproductive health,” Fox said. “I have enjoyed working with Elaine on this effort. In fact, our relationship began when I, personally, sought better contraception options. Since then, I have become a huge fan of Elaine and Revolution Contraceptives. I look forward to continuing Elaine’s legacy by taking Vasalgel to the world,” he concluded.

Vasalgel is a proprietary hydrogel injected into the vas deferens (the tube that sperm swim through). The procedure is similar to a vasectomy, but instead of permanently cutting the vas, the hydrogel is intended to act as a flexible filter for sperm. The ultimate goal is for Vasalgel to be easily dissolved or flushed out whenever a man wishes to restore the flow of sperm.

NEXT Life Sciences, Inc. develops and distributes medical technology that empowers people to choose when and if to have a child. For more information, visit https://nextlifesciences.org/.

The Parsemus Foundation works to create meaningful improvements in human and animal health and welfare by advancing innovative and neglected medical research. For more information visit https://parsemus.org/.