An over-the-counter gel that increases blood flow is being touted as a new alternative to Viagra and other erectile dysfunction pills.
It’s claimed Eroxon MED3000 gel works in less than ten minutes by creating a cooling and warming sensation while relaxing the smooth muscle tissue inside the penis.
Up to 60 per cent of men who tried it found it was successful in clinical trials.
However, others say the trials were not conclusive, and men suffering erectile dysfunction should always consult a doctor, as it may be a sign of heart disease.
Erectile dysfunction is a common condition and some men cannot take medicines like Viagra
The Eroxon gel claims to work within ten minutes of application
Many men cannot use erectile dysfunction medication like Viagra for health reasons or because it does not work for them.
It’s believed up to half of patients stop using pills within one year, and many other men are too embarrassed to seek medical treatment.
Dr Wayne Hellstrom, of Tulane School of Medicine in New Orleans, a former adviser to the makers of MED3000, said he expects the product to become ‘a potential first-line therapy’ for men.
The product is already available in UK pharmacies, costing around £25 for a four-pack of single-use tubes.
It was also approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in June 2023 and is expected to go on sale there next year.
Its maker Futura said the gel contains a combination of solvents which, when applied to the head of the penis, evaporate rapidly, stimulating nerve endings through an initial cooling effect followed by a warming sensation.
This reaction, they claim, releases nitric oxide, relaxing the smooth muscle tissue inside the penis and increasing blood flow that is needed to obtain an erection.
A report in the the Journal of Urology looked at two studies of 250 men with erectile dysfunction.
In one, the men used MED3000 and in the other they used either the gel or 5mg pills of tadalafil, an erectile dysfunction medication sold as Cialis.
Erections were achieved in less than 10 minutes in 60 per cent of men in the MED3000 and roughly 45 per cent of those in the tadalafil group.
Overall, fewer than two per cent of the men who used MED3000 and four per cent of those who took the pills reported side effects.
These included headaches, mainly among the tadalafil group, and a burning sensation in the penis in some who used the gel.
However, Dr Kevin McVary, a professor of urology at Stritch School of Medicine near Chicago, criticised the study and said he did not believe MED3000 had been proven beneficial.
He said: ‘Are they expecting the Cialis to work within 10 minutes? Because it doesn’t.
‘It doesn’t get absorbed into the bloodstream for about two and a half hours.’
He added men with erectile dysfunction will probably do anything to avoid seeing a doctor about the condition, which could make MED3000 highly marketable.
But he warned erectile dysfunction can be a sign of undetected heart problems, particularly in younger men.
‘It can function as the classic canary in a coal mine where it tells you who’s at risk for unexpected early death,’ he said.
Futura previously created different erectile dysfunction treatment called MED2005, which contained nitroglycerine, a drug that works by dilating small blood vessels.
The company carried out clinical trails where half of patients were given the real medication and half a dummy, or placebo, treatment.
Almost half of men who used the real MED2005 achieved an erection within 10 minutes.
But this was only marginally better than the 38 per cent who reported the placebo treatment — which did not contain nitroglycerine or any compound expected to have a pharmacologic effect — worked.
MED2005 also caused side effects including headaches and visual disturbances.
After this, Futura decided to launch the placebo cream instead, labelling it MED3000.
Critics have suggested this is the first time a company has knowingly marketed a placebo and the benefits are largely psychological.
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