Charlottesville, Virginia-based Contraline, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing male contraceptives, has closed a USD 92.5 million Series B financing to advance its lead hormonal candidate, NES/T Gel, toward Phase III development.
The round was co-led by BVF Partners L.P. and RA Capital Management, with participation from GV (Google Ventures), Lumira Ventures, Invus, and undisclosed new and existing investors. Iris van Alderwerelt van Rosenburgh from BVF Partners will join Contraline's board. Proceeds will support late-stage development of NES/T Gel and other pipeline assets. The company previously raised a USD 2.25 million seed round, making this Series B a substantial step up in capitalization.
NES/T Gel is a once-daily topical gel combining the synthetic progestin segesterone acetate (Nestorone) with testosterone. The combination is designed to suppress sperm production while maintaining physiological testosterone levels — addressing a longstanding challenge in male hormonal contraception, where suppressing fertility without disrupting androgen-dependent function has proven difficult. The candidate recently completed a global Phase IIb clinical trial enrolling 462 couples, with the company reporting encouraging efficacy, tolerability, reversibility, and user acceptability data. Contraline anticipates initiating Phase III development in 2027.
NES/T was originally developed by the Population Council in collaboration with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, part of the US National Institutes of Health. Contraline holds exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize the program.