#24 - Reimagining male contraception - L.R. Fox - NEXT Life Sciences

How would the world look like if men had the most efficient and reversible means of birth control? The outstanding work that L.R. Fox and his team at NEXT Life Sciences are leading might bring a very tangible answer to this question. Based on the pioneering work from Prof. Sujoy K. Guha and The Parsemus Foundation, they are developing one of the most promising male birth control methods medicine has ever known, under the name of Plan A. As an American citizen who has grown under the Foster Care program, Fox (as he likes to be called) has witnessed firsthand the dramatic consequences that unplanned pregnancies can have on individuals and their relatives in the long term. According to him, we have gone quite far already in terms of available options for women and men when it comes to birth control methods. But Plan A could be a revolution in the space, as it is completely hormone-free, painless to deliver and revert, and has an efficacy duration that is way beyond current standards. And most importantly, it can redistribute the heavy responsibility of family planning from women to men. In this episode, we talk about the science behind Plan A, where the technology comes from, how far is it from being available worldwide, and what it would change for society as a whole! A fascinating conversation with a visionary founder, deeply led by the purpose of fostering a positive impact in the world, and with a strong social approach to entrepreneurship! Timeline: 02:35 - Fox’s background and how he landed in the field of male contraception 06:16 - Experiencing firsthand the consequences of unplanned pregnancies 09:34 - The mission of NEXT Life Sciences 11:50 - The need, the science, and the functioning of Plan A 16:02 - How the Plan A procedure works and gets reverted 25:02 - Guaranteeing a 10-year efficacy claim 26:56 - Launching the first human clinical trials 33:55 - Making it accessible to the broadest population 38:17 - The philosophy of Fox and NEXT Life Sciences What we also talked about with Fox: Sexually transmissible diseases (STDs) Condoms Vasectomy Reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance (RISUG) Plan B Public benefit corporation We cited with Fox some of the past episodes from the series: #6 - Bringing back walking to paraplegics - Jocelyne Bloch - .NeuroRestore You can learn more about NEXT Life Sciences through their website, and feel free to follow their activities on LinkedIn! As mentioned by Fox during the episode, you can learn more about Plan A on the dedicated website as well as on Instagram, X, Facebook, and TikTok. If you want to contact Fox, you can reach out to him over LinkedIn. If you want to give me feedback on the episode or suggest potential guests, contact me over LinkedIn or via email at mathieu@impulsepodcast.com! If you liked the episode, please share it, subscribe to the podcast, and leave a 5-star review on streaming platforms! 🙏 There’s now a bi-monthly newsletter around the podcast where you will be informed of the latest episodes and updated on the latest medical tech progress, subscribe here! Lastly, don’t forget to follow our activities on LinkedIn and our website!