There are the results of a small study on 256 men suffering from premature ejaculation in the US, Canada and Poland. Reporting at a San Diego meeting of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America, the researchers led by Professor Stanley Althof, from the Centre for Marital and Sexual Health of South Florida in West Palm Beach said men who were assigned to receive the spray were able to increase their sexual time to 2 minutes, 36 seconds compared to just 48 seconds in the placebo group.

"The international sexual health community agreed that PE should be defined as ejaculation occurring within approximately one minute of penetration that causes the patient distress. Now we need to work to develop treatments, and these encouraging results with PSD502 seem to be a step in the right direction," Prof Althof said.

In another study, Dr. Ira Sharlip of the University of California San Francisco and colleagues assessed the impact of the spray on 200 men with PE. The men were asked to apply the spray five minutes before intercourse. Prior to using the spray most men ejaculated in less than one minute, but three months after using it, 60% reported that intercourse lasted for at least 3 minutes.

Premature ejaculation affects at least 30% of men ages 18 to 59 in the US. This means the condition is more common than erectile dysfunction in the country.

The new spray called PSD502 or Tempe is made up of two local anesthetic agents called lidocaine and prilocaine. These agents are dispersed through a metered aerosol. The spray has been developed by Plethora Solutions of London and Sciele Pharma Inc. of Atlanta.

The companies plan to apply to the US Food and Drug Administration for a new drug license. If approved, the new spray could hit the market in early 2011.