This week sees the UK launch of the first pharmaceutical drug to specifically treat premature ejaculation. Manufactured by Johnson and Johnson, the new drug branded Priligy, can reportedly triple the length of time it takes suffers of PE to reach orgasm.
Previous to its UK release, several European countries including Austria, Germany, Sweden and Italy approved Priligy for the treatment of premature ejaculation in 2009. Its launch in the United Kingdom on the 27th April 2010 follows five clinical trials involving over 6000 men.
The drug, which can be taken as and when necessary 1 – 3 hours prior to sex, is according to research published in The Lancet ‘an effective and generally well tolerated treatment for men with moderate-to-severe premature ejaculation.’
In the UK, Priligy will only be available through private prescription; and initially at least, only through the internet. According to Nitin Makadia of Lloyds Pharmacy, “Some men are understandably reluctant to discuss the problem with their GP so we are removing this barrier to treatment…By providing consultations online we hope to be able to help as many men as possible.” A private prescription through Lloyds Pharmacy currently costs £76 for three 30mg tablets – yes that’s right, it’ll cost you over £25 per dose – although you’ll find another legitimate online pharmacy offering the new drug for significantly less.
Priligy (pharmaceutically known as Dapoxetine) works by altering levels of the brain neurotransmitter Serotonin, low levels of which are reported to be one of the primary causes of premature ejaculation (particularly in life long sufferers of the condition).
In fact, Dapoxetine belongs to a group of drugs known as ‘selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors’ (SSRIs) – used to treat clinical depression and anxiety disorders. Other drugs in this group which you might have heard of include Fluoxitine (brand name Prozac) and Paroxetine (brand names Paxil and Seroxat.)
One well known reported side-effect of all these SSRI anti-depressants is delayed ejaculation. In fact, doctors often prescribe these SSRIs specifically for the treatment of premature ejaculation, although such medications have never previously gained specific approval for the condition.
The distinguishing feature between Priligy and other SSRIs however, seems to be that the new drug acts almost immediately to delay ejaculation, whereas the likes of Prozac can take several weeks of daily usage before a similar effect kicks in. According to a study published in the British Journal of Urology in 2006, Dapoxetine has a ‘unique pharmacokinetic profile’ that is particularly short acting – being both rapidly absorbed by the body and then eliminated within 24 hours, leaving little trace of the drug in the system.
Published clinical results involving Priligy do look impressive. In 2006, a study published in the international general medical journal The Lancet analysed the results of two 12 week double-blind, placebo-controlled trials involving the efficacy and safety of the drug on a total of 2614 sufferers of premature ejaculation.
At the beginning of the trials the participants (all of whom were in long term heterosexual relationships) suffered from ‘Intravaginal ejaculatory latency times’ (IELT) of less than a minute. In other words, they ejaculated in less than a minute of entering their partner. These men were divided into three groups 1) those given a placebo 2) those given 30mg Priligy tablets and 3) those given 60mg Priligy tablets. The participants took these tablets on demand, 1 – 3 hours prior to each sexual encounter over the 12 week period.
The study reported that both 30mg and 60mg strengths of Priligy tablets had a significant impact on IELT times in comparison to the placebo. Those taking 30mg of the drug were able to delay ejaculation for 2.78 minutes on average, whilst those taking 60mg lasted an average of 3.32 minutes.
Regardless of the fact that Priligy does work, it’s important to remember however that all drugs can have their side effects. The above study noted that at doses of 30mg (which seem to be more or less as effective as 60mg) 8.7% of men suffered from nausea, 3.9% experienced diarrhoea, 5.9% reported headaches, whilst 3% experienced dizziness.
Of course, many would argue that these are relatively mild side effects when considering the potential benefits that the drug can offer. In addition, the combined facts that the drug can simply be taken when needed (as opposed to continuously) and is quickly eliminated from the body, does mean that such side effects will be short lived. The major downside to using Priligy on a regular basis therefore seems to be the cost involved.
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