Parsemus Foundation

The Parsemus Foundation is an American non-governmental organization whose objective is to advance low-cost evidence-based medicines not pursued by the pharmaceutical industry.{{cite news |last=O'Riordan |first=Michael |url=http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/746456 |title=What Is the Parsemus Foundation? |work=Heartwire |publisher=Medscape |date=2011-07-15 |accessdate=2017-03-21 }} The foundation's focus is on supporting small proof-of-concept studies and then pursuing press coverage of the results, so that the advances change treatment practice rather than disappearing into the scientific literature. Many of the studies supported involve low-cost approaches that are not under patent.

Background

Founded in 2005, Parsemus is an advocate of research into the plausibility of RISUG (and a method based on RISUG, called Vasalgel), a reversible male contraceptive.{{cite news | first = Rosie | last = Haine | title = Men need more contraceptive choice | date = 2010-07-05 | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10514490 | work = BBC News | accessdate = 2012-10-13}}{{cite journal |title=This Time It's a Guy Thing |journal=Stanford Magazine |date= September–October 2012 |last=Sainani |first=Kristin |url=https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=55985 |accessdate=2017-03-21 }} The foundation began procuring RISUG's United States intellectual property rights in November 2010, completed the acquisition process in February 2012, and is for the past 8 years conducting toxicology tests as an initial step towards Food and Drug Administration approval.{{cite news | first = Melinda | last = Beck | title = 'Honey, It's Your Turn...' | date = 2011-06-14 | url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303848104576383730320049892 | work = The Wall Street Journal | accessdate = 2012-10-13}}{{cite web | url = http://parsemusfoundation.org/Parsemus/New_male_contraceptives.html | title = Parsemus Foundation | accessdate = 2012-10-13 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20121014135626/http://www.parsemusfoundation.org/Parsemus/New_male_contraceptives.html | archivedate = 2012-10-14 }}{{cite news |url=https://priceonomics.com/the-economics-of-male-birth-control/ |title=The Economics of Male Birth Control |work=Priceonomics |date=2015-10-19 |accessdate=2017-03-21 }}

Vasalgel production has continually been delayed. Human trials for Vasalgel were approved and planned for 2015–2016 with missed market release in 2017.{{Cite web |url=http://www.parsemusfoundation.org/vasalgel-faqs/ |title=Parsemus Foundation » Vasalgel FAQs |access-date=2014-09-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912003337/http://www.parsemusfoundation.org/vasalgel-faqs/ |archive-date=2014-09-12 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite book|last=Francis|first=Leslie|title=The Oxford Handbook of Reproductive Ethics|date=2017|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0199981878|page=336|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TS6hDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA336}}

The foundation has also engaged in animal testing and aims to prioritize animal welfare. The organization offers resources on alternative methods of fertility control (neutering) for dogs and cats. Its focus has been on ovary-sparing spay for female dogs and cats, vasectomy for male dogs and cats, and non-surgical sterilization using calcium chloride-based formulations for male dogs and cats.{{cite web|url=https://www.parsemus.org/|title=Parsemus Foundation|access-date=January 5, 2019}} As of 2017, reversibility has been unsuccessful in animal trials in the United States.

The foundation was also noted for its support of the Archives of Internal Medicine's less-is-more series.{{cite news | first = Shannon | last = Brownlee | title = Less Is More | date = 2011-07-19 | url = http://health.newamerica.net/blogposts/2011/less_is_more-55062 | work = New America Foundation | accessdate = 2012-10-13 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120916035721/http://health.newamerica.net/blogposts/2011/less_is_more-55062 | archivedate = 2012-09-16 }}

Parsemus Foundation has not managed to bring RISUG to mass use.

References

External links

[http://parsemusfoundation.org Official site]

Category:Medical and health foundations based in the United States

Category:Men's health organizations