A new contraceptive pill developed for males is 99% effective in preventing pregnancy and has proved to have no observable side effects after being tested on mice.

Scientists are hopeful that human clinical trials will commence in the second half of this year and would yield positive results.

This is a huge step in relieving the current contraceptive burden on women. Men could also have the option to take a pill.

These findings were presented by the University of Minnesota medical chemistry department last Wednesday at the American Chemical Society meeting.

It was revealed this potential contraceptive pill is non-hormonal and is designed to have little or no side effects.

There are so many compound clinical trials being undertaken right now throughout the globe.

But these are targeting the male sex hormone testosterone. And messing with this hormone could possibly cause depression, weight gain, and other side effects in men.

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

Because such positive animal tests do not always guarantee a positive outcome in humans, the university scientists are also trying out other compound tests in case this doesn’t work out, said Dr. Georg the head of the chemistry department.

For so long, the male sex has had fewer and limited approved contraceptive methods as compared to women.

There are male condoms, which are more popular worldwide, and surgical procedures called vasectomy.

There is no approved pill yet on the market and scientists are hopeful this is an effort in the right direction to get an approved pill.