The Man Who Made Viagra Is Back With Something New

The Man Who Made Viagra Is Back With Something New

By Tatyana Dyachenko

Everyone knows about Viagra: the miracle drug that was discovered almost by accident. It was in development for treating something else entirely when scientists realised that Viagra was having an incredible side-effect: it made men hard, and even those who suffered from erectile dysfunction were now enjoying erections. It was a welcomed side-effect. Fast forward two decades and this accidental side-effect is a multi-million-dollar industry with an average of nine pills dispensed every second.

And now, the man who worked on the initial drug in the nineties is back with a tempting new offer. Mike Wyllie (seriously, that’s his real name) is poised to launch Tempe, a treatment for premature ejaculation. It has already been judged as safe and effective by the European Medicines Agency and has passed all the tests: it will hit shelves next year.

Premature ejaculation is a problem that affects at least one in four men. It means that love-making is short, if not perfunctory, and can have serious side effects: it can be impossible for your partner to fall pregnant, it can affect your love-making and your relationship, and it can completely destroy self-esteem.

Tempe aims to combat this. It’s a small bottle with a spray-on nozzle which you use to spray the drug directly onto the penis up to two hours prior to lovemaking. It contains a kind of anaesthetic which helps to reduce over-sensitivity and helps to give a man more control. Once it is released, it will only be available on prescription until the drug is judged cheap enough to be administered through the NHS.

During trials, men who used the spray before sex were able to last up to five times longer. Their partners expressed a greater satisfaction with the result – unsurprisingly – and the test subjects were pleased with their performance. It has the potential to completely rebuild self-esteem and relationships.

Aside from all of the positive benefits, some testers expressed concern and reported that they had experienced side effects including mild burning and headaches. Despite this, Tempe’s preliminary approval for sale in the EU is expected to be passed in the next few weeks and it won’t be long until we see it on the other end of a prescription for those willing to take the risk.