London - A pill that blocks the action of a so-called “love hormone” could be a new treatment for premature ejaculation — a condition suffered by nearly five million men in the UK.
The medication, which was developed by UK scientists, is being tested in a clinical trial starting this month.
The treatment targets a hormone called oxytocin, which is thought to encourage feelings of bonding and is released in response to touch. Studies show it also increases sexual arousal and triggers ejaculation.
The new drug is a so-called oxytocin-antagonist, which means it stops oxytocin binding to cells in the body. The idea is that if this hormone can be blocked, then the moment of ejaculation can be delayed.
For the millions of men who suffer from premature ejaculation, sexual intercourse lasts only a few minutes, or even just seconds, which can lead to low self-esteem and relationship difficulties.
For many, the condition is present throughout adulthood, but it can also be triggered by conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, prostate disease, multiple sclerosis and an overactive or underactive thyroid gland.
Treatments include talking therapies, which are designed to help men develop better control of their ejaculatory reflexes, and medications such as anaesthetic creams that have a numbing effect.
A type of antidepressant, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), have also been shown to work for some men as they are thought to reduce sexual arousal. On the downside, these can also trigger unwanted side-effects such as nausea, headache, insomnia and dizziness.
One SSRI has been designed specifically to treat premature ejaculation, but the drug, called dapoxetine, is not suitable for men with heart, kidney or liver problems, and can carry side-effects such as dizziness.
Scientists behind the new drug, which is manufactured by Ixchelsis, say their oxytocin blocker may provide patients with an alternative treatment. Animal studies at the Universite de Versailles-Saint Quentin in France, and published in the British Journal of Pharmacology, have shown that oxytocin blockers can delay premature ejaculation.
Now the drug is being trialled on 90 men aged 18 to 60. In the year-long trial, conducted at various centres in the US and Australia, volunteers will take different doses of the drug one to seven hours before sexual intercourse.
Commenting on the trial, Professor Raj Persad, consultant urological surgeon at Bristol Royal Infirmary, said the drug may benefit patients, but cautioned that it should be used alongside psychological therapies.
“This drug is very interesting, and if trials are successful it could contribute towards treating this distressing condition,” he says.
“But there is more to premature ejaculation than chemical imbalances, and there should always be some input from a psychosexual approach to help deal with relevant background issues that the patient may or may not be consciously aware of.”
* Meanwhile, doctors have developed a nasal spray containing oxytocin to treat migraine. In a new trial, patients will use the spray when they start to experience one of the excruciating headaches.
The idea behind the drug, known as TI-001 and developed by US firm Trigemina, is that the drug travels through tissues in the nose to the trigeminal nerve, one of the main nerves in the face, which relays pain signals to the brain.
The theory is that the drug interferes with these signals.
Small studies have suggested that the new oxytocin formulation is effective.
In one trial, 42 percent of patients had significant pain reduction two hours after using the drug, compared with 11 percent of those in a control group.
A trial involving 240 patients is under way in Australia and Chile.- Daily Mail