Male Birth Control Pill, Blackberry Extract for Gingivitis, Skin Cancer and Digestive Health Top List of New Medical D...( American Association of Pharmaceutica...),Health

American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and

Exposition Kicks-Off in San Diego November 11 - 15

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2007 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Annual Meeting and Exposition starts today at the San Diego Convention Center with pharmaceutical scientists from across the globe presenting the latest in medical discoveries.

The meeting -- which marks the largest AAPS meeting to date, with more than 9,000 expected to attend -- provides media the opportunity to speak with some of the world's most prominent pharmaceutical scientists. Details regarding the 2007 key medical discoveries include:

First Reversible, Orally-Administered Male Contraceptive

New research presented at the AAPS Annual Meeting indicates that a new oral option for men to prevent pregnancy may be possible. The study shows the efficacy and side-effects of an oral contraceptive for males, which is similar to birth control pills currently available for women.

To date, effective male contraception has been restricted to physical methods, namely condoms and vasectomy. However, the research conducted by scientists at GTx, Inc., the Ohio State University, and the University of Tennessee provides the first male oral contraceptive that has been found effective in preventing pregnancy. Additionally, the option is reversible: after the medication is stopped, fertility is fully restored.

For 13 years, these researchers have been examining the reversibility of a compound that inhibits infertility by utilizing a non-steroidal hormonal therapy known as a selective androgen receptor modulator.

"Past clinical studies using testosterone for male contraception were not effective at preventing pregnancy without producing significant negative side- effects," said James Dalton, Ph.D., AAPS Fellow and lead researcher at GTx, Inc. and the Ohio State University. "Our recent study was doubly suc
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