Contraline, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel male contraceptives, today announced the closing of a $92.5 million Series B financing co-led by BVF Partners L.P. and RA Capital Management, with participation from GV (Google Ventures), Lumira Ventures, Invus, and other new and existing investors. In conjunction with the closing of the Series B financing, Iris van Alderwerelt van Rosenburgh, PhD., from BVF Partners L.P., will join Contraline’s Board of Directors.
Proceeds from the Series B financing will support the late-stage development of NES/T Gel, an investigational hormonal, reversible male contraceptive with first-in-class potential. NES/T is a once-daily topical gel that combines the synthetic progestin segesterone acetate (Nestorone®) with testosterone. The combination therapy is designed to suppress sperm production while maintaining physiological testosterone levels.
NES/T recently completed a global Phase 2b clinical trial enrolling 462 couples and demonstrated encouraging efficacy, tolerability, reversibility, and user acceptability. The company anticipates initiating Phase 3 clinical development in 2027.
“Male contraception represents one of the largest unmet needs in reproductive health,” said Kevin Eisenfrats, co-founder and CEO of Contraline. “Our mission at Contraline is to create new contraceptive options that expand reproductive choice for men and couples. Survey data suggest that more than 40 million men in the United States would consider using a novel male contraceptive, highlighting both the scale of the market opportunity and the potential impact our products could have on men’s and women’s health.”
“This financing enables Contraline to advance NES/T through Phase 3 development and positions the program to potentially become the first approved pharmacologic contraceptive for men. We believe this is a meaningful step towards expanding contraceptive options for men and couples worldwide,” said Iris van Alderwerelt van Rosenburgh, PhD. of BVF Partners L.P.
“Male contraception has long been an overlooked area,” said Laura Stoppel, Partner at RA Capital Management. “Contraline is helping redefine what reproductive choice can look like by giving men a more active role in family planning and expanding options for couples who may not be well served by existing contraceptives. We’re excited to be a part of this new chapter in reproductive health.”
NES/T was developed by the Population Council in collaboration with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Contraline holds the exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize the program.
In parallel with NES/T, Contraline is advancing development of additional male contraceptive technologies, including ADAM™, an investigational, long-lasting, non-hormonal, and reversible contraceptive currently in clinical development.
Read more here.