World first spray-on contraceptive

A spray-on contraceptive will be trialled in Australia next year, the latest development in birth control alternatives which include the Pill, Mini-Pill, injections and implantable devices.
Developed by Melbourne medical company, Acrux, the prototype for spray-on contraception uses a hormone called Nestorone.

"This is innovative technology. If, as we hope, this will develop into a good contraceptive then it will certainly be the first skin spray that will transfer hormones into the blood stream," said Professor Ian Fraser.

The spray delivers a pre-set dose, which is a smaller potentially safer dose than a pill because a pill needs higher doses to get past the gut wall and liver.

"[With a pill] the blood levels go up very rapidly, they stay high for a few hours, and then go down very rapidly, "said Professor Fraser. "If you give something through the skin you get much more constant blood levels."

It will be a daily spray but won't need to be taken strictly at the same time every day and it's that flexibility and safety which is appealing to many women like Linda Kristian-Lambert.

"Nobody likes having to take huge amounts of drugs and hormones every day so if this spray promises a break-away from this then I'm all for it," she said.

The first trials will get underway next year initially involving only a small group of Australian women. The aim is to regularly test blood levels of the hormone, which are expected to take effect very quickly.

"It works in 30 seconds and we hope that we would be using doses that are perhaps half of what we do with a pill by mouth," said Professor Fraser.

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Half of a set :halo: