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| |  New 'No-Sun' Tanning Drug Also May Treat Impotence TUCSON, Ariz. -- July 8, 1997 -- A substance that gained worldwide attention for its ability to tan the skin without sunlight also appears to be an effective treatment for impotence, the most common male sexual disorder, affecting nearly 18 million men of all ages. Currently, no medical treatment exists for the inability to achieve or maintain an erection. However, a recent pilot study at The University of Arizona College of Medicine produced promising results with Melanotan II (MT II), a hormone analogue, said Hunter Wessells, M.D., director of the Sexual Dysfunction Unit of the UA College of Medicine. The first study of Melanotan II as a treatment for impotence involved 10 men with psychogenic impotence who were given the drug twice in a randomized double-blind study. The drug was found to produce erections in 80 percent of participants, Dr. Wessells said. Further studies are continuing, but it may be years before Melanotan II is available commercially. Currently, the only impotence treatments for men are surgical implants, a vacuum device and an injection of Caverject directly into the penis to initiate erections, or a pellet of MUSE, a similar substance, placed into the urethra. MT II may be injected anywhere in the body and produces long-lasting erections, Dr. Wessells said, adding a nasal spray form also may be possible. "Our approach is much less invasive and the erections have lasted one to four hours," Dr. Wessells said. "This may be an important breakthrough and could mean a lot to the millions of men affected by impotence." The time to onset of erections ranged from 50 to 180 minutes and erections lasted an average of 144 minutes, he added. The study, a collaboration with the UA Department of Dermatology, found that the ease of delivery and the low risks associated with MT II, make it a promising diagnostic and therapeutic tool, Dr. Wessells said. Melanotan II was discovered as a potential treatment for impotence while it was being studied as a drug to produce changes in the melanin of the skin. It works by activing pro-erectile paths in the nervous system and brain that initiate the normal mechanisms of erection. Further studies are needed to determine whether MT II has the potential for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Currently, the drug is being studied as a treatment for organic impotence, the most common cause of impotence.
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