The Wall Street Journal is reporting on a new condom, developed by Futura Medical (Surrey, UK), that is internally coated with a vasodilator. A good number of men “deflate” when applying condoms, leading them to stop using protection altogether. The new condom is currently called CSD500, but we imagine that Durex, the manufacturing and distributing partner, will have a spicier nom de guerre when it goes on sale. According to our earlier report, the trademarked brand name for the vasodilator is Zanifil™, a gel with an active ingredient glyceryl trinitrate [nitroglycerin]. The WSJ is reporting that European approval is expected imminently and EU consumers may see the new condom on store shelves by the end of the year.
From The Wall Street Journal:
Finding an active ingredient was straightforward—it’s a generic compound for the treatment of angina, a severe chest pain caused by lack of blood flow to the heart. However, "immobilizing" the gel in the condom, so the vasodilator only touches the wearer during sexual intercourse, was the clever part.
"The challenge is having a stable product in a condom—a gel that doesn’t do anything detrimental to the condom," Futura Chief Executive James Barder said.
"Some products can degrade the latex very quickly," said Mr. Barder, noting that adding the vasodilator to the lubricant is complicated. "It has to be immobilized in the condom." Most of the patents protecting CSD500 are associated with this immobilization, Mr. Barder said.
Unlike the drug Viagra, with which Futura’s product has been compared, the condom isn’t being scrutinized by regulators as a treatment for erectile dysfunction. Rather, it’s specifically targeted at men who struggle to maintain an erection while wearing a condom.
More from Wall Street Journal (subscription may be required)…
Product page: CSD500 Condom Safety Device…
