?

(1S)-N,N-dimethyl-3-naphthalen-1-yloxy-1-phenyl -propan-1-amine IUPAC name
CAS number 119356-77-3 (base compound) 129938-20-1 (HCl salt)	ATC code
PubChem 71353	DrugBank ?
Chemical formula	C21H23NO
Molecular weight	305.413 g/mol
Bioavailability	?
Metabolism	?
Elimination half-life	?
Excretion	?
Pregnancy category	?
Legal status	Rx-only
Routes of administration	Oral

Dapoxetine is the International Nonproprietary Name of a drug currently being considered for approval by the FDA for the treatment of premature ejaculation in men, which would make it the first drug approved for such treatment. It is currently in Phase III of the approval process. This would make it join the ranks of sildenafil (Viagra®), tadalafil (Cialis®), and vardenafil (Levitra®), the erectile dysfunction drugs, as a drug intended to improve male sexual health.

Dapoxetine, submitted to the FDA in the form of dapoxetine hydrochloride, was developed by ALZA Corporation and its parent company, Johnson & Johnson.

Like other drugs in this category, it is controversial for turning something that is traditionally considered psychological into a physiological problem that can be treated, to the benefit of the pharmaceutical industry (but also to the people with the dysfunction).

In October of 2005, the Food and Drug Administration issued a nonapprovable letter for Dapoxetine^*.

External links

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• DapoxetineNews.com - News site
• Dapoxetine online - News site
• Press release by Ortho-McNeil, the company that will market dapoxetine in the USA if approved
• "The many mysteries of the female orgasm" - An editorial about advances in sexual pharmacology

Urology