A Quick Viagra Fix

A new spray form of Viagra has come from scientists at the University of Kentucky, reports CBS News Correspondent John Roberts. Researchers were concerned that with the currently available pill form of the anti-impotence drug, time may not be on men's side.

"We're all interested in sex, and we're all interested in showing love to our partners and so on, and if you have to take a tablet and wait around for an hour or two to see if it's going to work, that's a little embarrassing," says researcher Lewis Dittert.

Using a unique method developed at the university, the scientists found a way to take sildenafil (the drug in Viagra, which doesn't dissolve in water) and make it into a liquid solution. Sprayed in the nose, it would be absorbed directly into the bloodstream.

"It is easy, it is convenient, and it will act within about ten to 15 minutes," says researcher Anwar Hussein.

Because it doesn't go through the digestive system, which can degrade a drug, researchers say the nasal spray could work at about 1/10th the dose of the oral medication.

When they contacted Viagra's maker, Pfizer, about their discovery, the scientists were told they were "dangerously close" to something Pfizer was already working on. So the new drug may appear in court before it hits pharmacy shelves.

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