Dr. Jeffrey Jensen is utilizing a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a nonsurgical permanent contraceptive.
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
Dr. Jeffrey Jensen is utilizing a $5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a nonsurgical permanent contraceptive.
The OHSU researcher said in a Portland Business Journal story that his goal is “to make every pregnancy planned and highly desired.”
Jensen and his team have been researching one promising approach on rhesus monkeys and baboons, the use of polidocanol foam, an FDA-approved treatment for varicose veins. The approach bypasses the cumbersome and lengthy regulatory process.
“My belief is we can adapt existing agents and repurpose them and that would reduce the development time and improve our ability to get the work done,” he said. “We hope to work out factors that improve the effectiveness of the approach and move into human clinical studies.”
A nonsurgical option would be a boon to developing nations struggling with reproductive issues. The PBJ story cited a study that revealed half of the women in Uganda don’t want to become pregnant again, yet only 2 percent can get permanent contraception.
Currently, all permanent contraception options require surgery.
