It’s a dream of drug companies and frustrated guys alike (not to mention women): A pill to last longer in bed.
But there are problems. It’s not approved here. And taking it could have an effect on your other head.
The drug is called dapoxetine, and in trials it helped lifelong sufferers of premature ejaculation improve their performance on average from 54 seconds (oops . . . ) to 3.5 minutes (how was that?).
The drug was turned down for approval by the FDA in 2005, but according to Drug Week magazine, Johnson & Johnson plans to file for approval in Canada and “select European countries” (J&J’s coy on this one), some as early as the end of the year.
Lasting four times longer is impressive news for the estimated 20 to 30 percent of men suffering from PE. But the drug is really a form of antidepressant, which raises red flags for some people.
For years doctors have prescribed drugs such as Celexa, Zoloft, and Paxil for PE “off-label” — meaning they know they’re not intended for PE, but they know they work. So they prescribe them anyway.
The new drug is derived from these selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). But it’s been tweaked so it works quicker and fades from your system faster than antidepressants.
Good enough, right?
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