Bayer to commercialise hormone-free contraceptive ring

Bayer has signed a license agreement with Daré Bioscience, Inc to commercialise the latter’s investigational contraceptive product, Ovaprene in the US once approved by the FDA.

Ovaprene is an investigational hormone-free, intravaginal ring currently in clinical development for pregnancy prevention. 

The ring releases a locally acting, non-hormonal agent which impedes sperm motility and features a proprietary knitted polymer barrier to physically block sperm from entering the cervical canal.

Ovaprene recently completed a successful postcoital test (PCT) clinical study where in all women and across all cycles evaluated, it prevented virtually all sperm from entering the cervical canal, a surrogate marker for contraceptive effectiveness. 

Daré plans to file an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) for Ovaprene in the first half of 2020.