For years, J&J has been trying to get dapoxetine on the market -- it's a drug for premature ejaculation.
The FDA rejected J&J's application to put dapoxetine on the market two years ago. Despite that, J&J is still pushing the compound, hoping to get approval in Europe.
Why? A recent story in the WSJ has some of the answers. Here's the main one: "dapoxetine could generate world-wide sales of $600 million by 2011, according to Morgan Stanley."
What is not mentioned in the story, however, is what everyone else who is familiar with dapoxetine is thinking: if the drug was approved, there would be a huge market among recreational users, many of whom would combine it with Viagra (et al).
It's ludicrous to believe that ED drugs are used only by people with legitimate medical conditions. Indeed, AIDS activists have complained that Viagra is used too often by crystal meth addicts trying to counteract the effects of their drug.
Obviously, J&J would never mention any of this in its promotion of the drug. It wouldn't have to.
I can't wait to see the launch TV ads for dapoxetine (if the FDA ever comes around). How exactly this fits in with J&J's "family doctor" image, I have no idea ...
One last fact about dapoxetine: in trials for this drug, men were timed having sex while the woman they were with held a stopwatch. Aside from the hilarity -- isn't that slightly unscientific? It's a bit like giving the rats control of the maze.
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