Scientists from New York have said that a topical cream being developed for the treatment of erectile dysfunction could be safer than the traditional pill method currently used.
Studies have been done showing that the three main ED medications Viagra, Cialis and Levitra could pass through the skin in tiny capsules, producing fewer side effects and speeding up the action of the drugs considerably.
At the moment, some men experience side effects from the medication, which can include blurred vision, headaches or upset stomachs. Men with heart problems are also advised to be extremely cautious when using the tablets or even avoid using them entirely.
The topical cream might avoid these problems, as by applying the cream specifically to the genital area the active ingredients of the medication would be confined to a single area, rather than circulating widely around the body.
The science behind the new innovation is nanotechnology, which uses tiny particles smaller than a grain of pollen. One of the lead researchers, Dr Kelvin Davis, said that the nanoparticles containing Cialis, nitric oxide and a new medication called sialorphin, entered the body extremely quickly and so cut down the response time to a few minutes, fulfilling men’s wish for a fast-acting medication.
The team published the results from the tests, which were done on rats, in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. They warned however that the topical cream was unlikely to be ready for general use for at least a decade.