Investigational agent appears effective in premature ejaculation

Oral dapoxetine demonstrates benefits in both men with premature ejaculation and their partners, report the authors of a multinational phase III clinical trial.

The data, presented during the European Association of Urology annual meeting in Milan, Italy, showed significant improvement in all four pre-defined endpoints for partners of 1,000 men treated with dapoxetine, 30 mg or 60 mg, versus placebo over a 25-week period.

At baseline, less than 5% of women reported that their perception of their partner’s control was “good” or “very good.” This percentage increased to 24.7% and 32.4% with dapoxetine, 30 mg and 60 mg, respectively (vs. 14.5% with placebo; p<.001), reported lead author Jacques Buvat, MD, of the Centre d’Etude et de Traitement de la Pathologie de l’Appareil Reproducteur et de la Psychosomatique (CETPARP) in Lille, France.

More than 42% of women reported that they were “quite a bit” or “extremely” distressed by the timing of their partner’s ejaculation at baseline. This decreased to 22.3% and 18.3% with dapoxetine, 30 mg and 60 mg, respectively (vs. 29.5% with placebo; p<.001).

At baseline, less than 15% of women reported “good” or “very good” satisfaction with sexual intercourse. This increased to 33.6% and 39.1% with dapoxetine 30 mg and 60 mg, respectively (vs. 19.4% with placebo, p<.01).

Researchers said these findings confirm results from a separate study investigating how premature ejaculation affects female partners, specifically the significant impact in terms of lower perceived control over ejaculation, lower satisfaction with sexual intercourse, higher ejaculation-related personal distress, and/or interpersonal difficulty in the relationship when compared with female partners of men without premature ejaculation.