Vivus, Inc, a developer of innovative pharmaceutical products to improve quality of life, has been awarded Patent No. 6,403,597 entitled, "Administration of Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors for the treatment of premature ejaculation," by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

"The use of phosphodiesterase (PDE5) inhibitors to treat premature ejaculation (PE) has the potential to become an important medical advance," said Dr. John Dietrich, vice president of research and development at Vivus. "PDE5 inhibitor therapy may ultimately become an on-demand treatment that delays ejaculation in these patients while improving their erectile function," added Dr. Dietrich.

In preliminary studies (1,2), PDE5 inhibitor therapy was shown to be significantly more effective in delaying ejaculation in men with PE than anti-depressant therapy which is currently being used by physicians off-label to treat PE. In addition, PDE5 inhibitor therapy appears to be better tolerated and importantly patients reported a much higher level of sexual satisfaction while receiving the PDE5 inhibitor therapy.

"While Vivus is currently developing TA-1790, a novel oral PDE5 inhibitor, for the treatment of ED, we are assessing all opportunities including working with other companies with PDE5 inhibitors in order to maximize the value of this intellectual property," said Leland F. Wilson, president and CEO at Vivus. "We will also continue to develop VI-0134, our existing compound in development for PE, until comparative trials have been completed," added Wilson.

"The market potential for an effective product to treat PE is substantial," commented Mr. Wilson. In a national scientific survey, 28.5% of men aged 18-59 reported experiencing PE over a period of at least several months. By comparison, in the same group of respondents only 10.4% reported experiencing difficulty in achieving and maintaining an erection (3). Today, there is no approved medical therapy for the treatment of PE, even though some experts believe PE patients constitute the largest subset of patients with sexual dysfunction.