'Viagra Condom' Hopes to Buoy Endurance

Prophylactic contains gel to boost blood flow
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted May 9, 2011 2:21 PM CDT
Updated May 14, 2011 7:46 AM CDT
'Viagra Condom' Hopes to Buoy Endurance
The CSD500 contains a vasodilating gel.   (Shutterstock)

A British biotech company has come up with a kind of protection it thinks men will be eager to use. Dubbed the “Viagra Condom,” its nickname is a bit misleading: It’s not targeted at men with erectile dysfunction. Instead, the new condom comes pre-loaded with a vasodilating gel that keeps up the flow of blood to the penis, thus helping men who struggle to maintain an erection while wearing a condom—and perhaps prompting more men to use protection, Time reports.

The tough part of designing the condom wasn’t making the gel; the material is commonly used for treating chest pains that stem from a lack of blood flow to the heart. The difficulty was making sure the substance is “immobilized in the condom,” so it affects only the wearer, the CEO of maker Futura tells the Wall Street Journal. What’s more, “some products can degrade the latex very quickly.” The CSD500 looks set to hit the UK market soon, but it’ll have to sell well—and hold up to US regulators’ scrutiny—before it arrives here. (More condoms stories.)

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