Scientists are investigating vaccines that would block the hormones critical in early pregnancy and the production of sperm. But individuals' wide range of responses to the potential vaccine in terms of efficacy and duration, added to safety and cost concerns, makes Mishell doubtful that a vaccine will appear on the market in the next few decades. In fact, there seems to be less interest in developing new contraceptives because there is less money, and more liability, in bringing a contraceptive to market than for many disease-fighting drugs, says Mishell. This marks a sharp contrast to the atmosphere of the late sixties and early seventies, when Mishell played a leading role in the testing and development of The Pill and more than a dozen companies were heavily invested in new contraceptive technologies. Now, only a handful of companies invest in contraceptive research and the number of research grants has shrunk.
Birth control is a method for healthy people.
Mishell says that even he has seen the effects of the shrinking research dollars. But with more than 30 years of leading clinical investigations into keeping sperm and egg relations cool, he is not about to stop now.