The first drug to treat Peyronie’s disease — an embarrassing and sometimes painful curvature of the penis — won approval on Friday from the Food and Drug Administration.

The drug, Xiaflex, is made by Auxilium Pharmaceuticals. It estimates as many as 9 percent of men have the condition, which can make intercourse painful or impossible.

“It’s a soul-destroying disease,” said Stan Hardin, a plumber in Colorado Springs, who started the Association of Peyronie’s Disease Advocates after developing the condition 12 years ago. He said the approval offered hope to men, many of whom might now seek treatment.

Named after the French physician who first described it in 1741, the condition is caused by the buildup of plaque under the skin of the penis.