Tempe, a spray to help love last beyond a moment

He put smiles on millions  of faces when he helped invent Viagra. Now the brains behind the little blue pills claims to have done it again.

Mike Wyllie, one of the team of scientists who developed Viagra in the 1990s, has created a drug that tackles premature ejaculation.

He predicts the spray-on medication, designed to prolong the joy of sex for millions of sufferers and their partners, is likely to become ‘the next blockbuster’ drug.

Premature ejaculation affects more than one in four men – making it more common than the impotence tackled by Viagra. Most are too embarrassed to seek help and when they do, treatments are generally limited to powerful anti-depressants and counselling.

There is one pill specifically designed to treat the problem but it is expensive and not widely available in the UK. In contrast, it is hoped the spray, called Tempe, which could be on sale within months, will be cheap enough for prescription on the NHS.

In trials, some men using the spray ahead of sex lasted up to eight times longer. But the drug is generally thought to treble a man’s ‘staying power’.

Dr Wyllie, formerly of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and now chief scientific officer of British biotech firm Plethora Solutions, calls Tempe his ‘new Viagra’.

Premature ejaculation affects more men than the impotence tackled by the little blue pill Viagra

‘It is as much appreciated by partners as by the sufferers,’ he said. ‘I feel in many respects the clinical data are as impressive  as Viagra’s.’

Premature ejaculation can wreck self-esteem, make it difficult to form relationships and, at its worst, can make it impossible for partners  to become pregnant. While the exact causes are unclear, it is thought over-sensitivity contributes to the problem.

Tempe contains low doses of two anaesthetics which help give a man more control, without creating an uncomfortable numbing sensation.

It takes about five minutes to get to work, but those who do not wish to give away their secret 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.

The average European man has staying power of six minutes, said Dr John Dean, an expert who helped run the trials. The drug is aimed at those who struggle to last a minute and is not thought to provide much extra time to those who do not have a problem.

Plethora Solutions is confident its application for a licence to sell Tempe across Europe will be approved, meaning the drug could be on sale by autumn next year. Dr Wyllie, who is also assistant editor of the British Journal of Urology, said: ‘It could be the next blockbuster, the potential is enormous.’

With sales of Viagra and similar pills worth £2.5billion a year globally, there are billions of pounds to be made.

But Pam Spurr, a life coach and author of Sex Academy, warned premature ejaculation can be caused by underlying psychological or medical problems or by a simple lack of technique. ‘Men will jump at a drug like this because it means they don’t have to communicate with their partner about longer-term solutions,’ she added.

‘But I think a lot of women would rather he didn’t use a spray but learnt how to control it naturally.’

A condom may be just as effective at reducing sensitivity, she said.