Want more staying power in the bedroom? Drug that blocks the 'love hormone' could be the answer

A pill that blocks the action of a so-called ‘love hormone’ could be a new treatment for premature ejaculation.

The medication – which was developed by UK scientists - is being tested in a clinical trial starting this month, The Daily Mail reports.

It treatment targets a hormone called oxytocin which is thought to encourage feelings of bonding, and is released in response to touch.

Studies show it also increases sexual arousal, and triggers ejaculation.

The new drug is a so-called oxytocin-antagonist, which means it stops oxytocin binding to cells in the body. The idea is that if oxytocin can be blocked, the moment of ejaculation can be delayed.

For many men the condition is present throughout adulthood, but it can also be triggered by conditions such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, high blood pressure, prostate disease and overactive or underactive thyroid gland.

Treatments include talking therapies, which are designed to help men develop better control of their ejaculatory reflexes, as well as medications such as anaesthetic creams that have a numbing effect.

Scientists behind the new treatment, which is manufactured by Ixchelsis, say their oxytocin-blocker may provide a viable alternative, and with fewer side effects.

Now the drug is being trialled on 90 men aged 18 to 60. In the year-long trial, conducted at various centres in the U.S and Australia, the volunteers will take different doses of the drug one to seven hours before sexual intercourse.

Commenting on the trial, Professor Raj Persad, consultant urological surgeon at Bristol Royal Infirmary said the drug may benefit patients, but cautioned it should be used alongside psychological therapies.

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