Instant Action. Aussie Oral Erectile Dysfunction Spray Cuts Response Time to Minutes

Viagra's about to get some competition, this time with a product developed in Australia. "Researchers in Australia claim to have developed a nasal spray to combat erectile dysfunction – and it could be rolled out to American consumers within two years," reports the New York Post.

"The spray-to-play product reportedly works in as little as five minutes, meaning it could be a bedroom game changer for the 30 million Americans who struggle to gain and maintain an erection."

Current erectile dysfunction medications, such as Viagra or Cialis, are taken orally. They reverse erectile dysfunction by enhancing the effects of nitric oxide, a natural chemical your body produces that relaxes muscles in the penis. These meds usually take a half-hour to an hour to kick in.

"Our nasal delivery bypasses the digestive system, so it really goes straight into the bloodstream and has an effect in five to 15 minutes," Lee Rodne, executive chairman of biotech company LTR Pharma, told the Australian on Monday.

"We expect it to be a lot more effective than oral tablets so that it works consistently and in a quicker and faster amount of time, so men don't have to plan ahead and they don't have variable results," he enthusiastically added.

The new spray, dubbed SPONTAN, "repurposes" the PDE5 inhibitor Vardenafil, which is taken orally one to two hours before sexual activity.

PDE5 inhibitors are a group of medications commonly used to treat erectile dysfunction and include sildenafil (sold under the brand name Viagra) and tadalafil (sold as Cialis).

"A clinical trial will soon begin in Australia to compare the results of SPONTAN against the results of a different PDE5 inhibitor that will be taken orally," adds The Post.