J&J Drops Clue to Marketing Strategy for Priligy, Its New Sex Pill

(MoneyWatch)  Johnson & Johnson gave an interesting clue as to how it might promote Priligy, its new anti-premature ejaculation pill, if the FDA ever approves the thing. According to Bloomberg, Joanne Waldstreicher, J&J's chief medical officer, said that premature ejaculation causes:

... difficulty in a man's ability to manage his relationships and directly impacts self esteem.

The key words were the last two, "self esteem." Could this pill really be positioned as a cure for low self esteem? Yup. That's because Priligy (or dapoxetine) was originally developed as an antidepressant. The sex-extending properties of the drug initially manifested themselves as a side effect.

Whether the FDA will approve an antidepressant masquerading as a sex drug is another question. It's been rejected once. So J&J has gone around to the back door, so to speak. Priligy is approved in Finland, Sweden, Austria, Portugal and Germany, and approval seems imminent in S. Korea. When the new application gets to the FDA it will be interesting to see what the feds have to say about J&J's testing method: They had wives and girlfriends time their men with stopwatches. No pressure!

While Merrill Lynch once hailed dapoxetine as the new Viagra, there's reason to believe that it might not be. Bloomberg:

The drug, sold as Priligy in Europe, is taken a few hours before intercourse to increase the time before the patient ejaculates.

A few hours! There's nothing like rigorously scheduled, deadline-oriented sex to set the mood.

• Previously:
• In Development: An Antidepressant That Won't Affect Your Sex Drive
• J&J Has Competition in Race for New Blockbuster Sex Pill
• With Premature Ejaculation Pill, J&J Takes Another Step Into the Sex Biz

Image by Flickr user wwarby, CC.