The inventor of Viagra gives men a new lift: Man behind sex wonder drug creates a spray to combat premature ejaculation

Dr Mike Wyllie developed spray-on medication Tempe

Trials suggest that those who used the spray lasted five times longer



Judged safe by European Medicines Agency and expected on sale next year

Help: The Tempe spray could be in bathroom cabinets as early as next year

He has already helped prevent millions of men from flopping in the bedroom.

Now one of the inventors of Viagra claims to have a drug that will help many more experience the joy of sex.

Mike Wyllie, one of the team of scientists who developed Viagra in the Nineties, is poised to launch a treatment for premature ejaculation.



Tempe, a spray-on medication, has been judged safe and effective by the European Medicines Agency and is expected in bedroom cabinets early next year.

Premature ejaculation is a problem that affects at least one in four men, making it more common than the impotence caused by Viagra.

In trials, men who used the spray ahead of sex lasted on average five times longer.

Women also benefited from longer love making, with both sexes expressing greater satisfaction with their sex life.

Dr Wyllie, formerly of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and now of small British biotech firm Plethora Solutions, said: ‘Premature ejaculation doesn’t just make the patient feel bad.

‘It does affect the partner and can completely destroy relationships. I feel this could save relationships.’

Premature ejaculation can wreck self-esteem, make it difficult to form and maintain relationships and, at its worst, can make it impossible for partner to become pregnant.

Despite its toll, there is just one pill specifically designed to tackle the problem but it is expensive and not widely available in the UK.

The exact causes are unclear but it is thought over-sensitivity is part of the problem.

The Tempe spray contains low doses of two anaesthetics which help give a man more control. It only takes around five minutes to get work, although those who like to be spontaneous will be pleased to know it can be sprayed on up to two hours before sex.

A pocket-sized can will last a year, if a man has sex five or six times a month.

However, some of those who tested the drug experienced side-effects, including burning sensations and headaches.

And some fear that using a drug as a ‘quick fix’ will prevent couples from confronting the stress, anxiety and relationship troubles that could be at the heart of the problem.

Research: Dr Wyllie helped develop Viagra, pictured, which made £1.3billion worldwide last year

Tempe will only be available on private prescription initially. But it is hoped that it will be judged cheap enough in the long-run to be prescribed to some men on the NHS.

With sales of Viagra worth £1.3billion a year worldwide, the new drug has the potential to be a blockbuster.

However, Dr Wyllie will not receive any royalties from the sales and only has a very small holding in Plethora Solutions.

He says he was motivated by scientific curiosity and that the launch will be a triumph for a small British company that lacks the manpower and resources of the big players in the market.



Tempe’s preliminary approval for sale EU is expected to be rubber-stamped by the European Commission in the next few weeks.

John Dean, one of Britain’s leading experts on male sexual problems and a past president of the International Society for Sexual Medicine, said: ‘Whilst premature ejaculation is not a life-threatening condition, its consequences can be serious.