New Topical Spray May Treat Premature Ejaculation

One current treatment for premature ejaculation consists of topical creams with desensitizing agents which dull the penile skin and delay ejaculation. Although effective, these creams require use of a condom and/or washing the cream away before intercourse and they may reduce sexual pleasure. Researchers have shown that a new topical spray, consisting of an aerosol formulation of lidocaine and prilocaine, is effective and easy to use. It selectively desensitizes penile skin, affecting only the non-keratinized skin (the inner lining of the foreskin and the surface of the glans), without adversely affecting the sensation of ejaculation. This new treatment can be applied five minutes prior to intercourse.

A total of 300 men with premature ejaculation, diagnosed using the International Society of Sexual Medicine's definition (intravaginal ejaculatory latency time of a minute or less), participated in this study. The participants were divided into two groups, one applied the PSD502 spray and the other applied a placebo spray five minutes prior to sexual intercourse. Both groups had an average baseline of 0.6 minutes latency time before ejaculation. After treatment, the PSD502 group improved to a latency time of four minutes; the placebo group only improved to one minute. The spray was well tolerated by both patients and partners, with no systemic or serious adverse events reported. Only 2.6 percent of the PSD502 group reported any treatment-related adverse events, compared to 1 percent of the placebo group.

"Premature ejaculation is one of the most common sexual dysfunctions in men. It occurs in 20-30% of men of all ages and we need an effective, patient-friendly treatment for this distressing problem," said Ira D. Sharlip, MD, an AUA spokesman. "This new topical spray has promise to become one of the most effective treatments for premature ejaculation. It has a number of characteristics which will be attractive to patients with premature ejaculation."

Wyllie, M; Heath, P; Dinsmore, W. PSD502, a novel metered-dose aerosol formulation of lidocaine and prilocaine, is a safe and effective treatment for premature ejaculation (PE); results of a phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Urol, suppl. 2009: 181, 4, abstract 1370.