With Johnson and Johnson still waiting for approval from the FDA for their premature ejaculation pill Priligy in the U.S, they are not going to be best pleased by the news that an Atlanta firm is also planning on seeking approval for an aerosol designed to combat the same condition.

Sciele Pharma has developed a metered-dose aerosol spray which when sprayed onto the skin is meant to increase latency time.  If approved, it will go head-to-head with Priligy to conquer the P.E market, which could be extremely lucrative.

A representative from the company, Joseph T Schepers, told the New York Times that premature ejaculation was in fact more common that erectile dysfunction (characterised by an inability to achieve an erection sufficient for penetration, rather than an inability to control ejaculation)  with 1 in 3 men suffering from it.

While there has been a certain amount of debate about whether premature ejaculation merits medical intervention, the International Society for Sexual Medicine defines it as ‘characterised by ejaculation which always or nearly always occurs prior to or within one minute of vaginal penetration’. They added that sufferers experience feelings of distress and feel out of control.

Dr. Wayne J. G. Hellstrom, a Professor of Urology at the School of Medicine at Tulane University and sometime consultant for Johnson and Johnson, said that men suffering from the condition often don’t manage to maintain relationships .

He has suggested that some 20 to 30% of men will experience the problem, meaning that for Johnson and Johnson and Sciele there is a very large market who would be interested in their product.