Perceived control over ejaculation is central to treatment benefit in men with premature ejaculation: results from phase III trials with dapoxetine.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the utility of perceived control over ejaculation ('control') in the evaluation of treatment benefit in men with premature ejaculation (PE), and to compare effects associated with a two-category or greater increase in this variable between men receiving dapoxetine and placebo.

METHODS

This subanalysis used combined data from all treatment groups in an integrated analysis of two identically designed, 12-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials of dapoxetine. Men (2614) met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fourth edition, text revision) criteria for PE, had a stopwatch-measured intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT) of < or =2 min in > or =75% of events in a 2-week baseline period, and self-reported moderate or severe PE. Men received placebo or dapoxetine 30 or 60 mg, 1-3 h before intercourse. The stopwatch-measured IELT was recorded for each episode; the patient-reported global impression of change (PGI; 7-point scale, 'much worse' to 'much better'), control and satisfaction with sexual intercourse (5-point scales, 'very poor' to 'very good') were assessed monthly. The utility of a two-category or greater increase in control was evaluated by examining the relationship of this variable with IELT and satisfaction with sexual intercourse.

RESULTS

Of 2341 men with baseline and endpoint assessments, 96.8% reported 'very poor' or 'poor' control at baseline, and 748 (32%) reported a two-category or greater increase in control after treatment. More than 95% of those men rated their PE as 'slightly better', 'better', or 'much better' on the PGI; 67.1% gave ratings of 'better' or 'much better.' They also had greater improvements in IELT than men with less than a two-category increase in control, with a mean (sd) change from baseline of 3.7 (4.3) vs 0.77 (1.8) min, respectively, and a greater percentage reported good or very good satisfaction with sexual intercourse than men with less than a two-category increase in control (74% vs 19%, respectively). Nausea, headache and upper respiratory tract infection were the most common adverse events reported by men with a two-category or greater increase in control (15.8%, 7.4% and 6.6%, respectively) and those without (8.5%, 5.5% and 6.5%, respectively). The proportions of men with a two-category or greater increase in control with dapoxetine 30 and 60 mg were 36.3% and 44.5%, respectively (vs 15% with placebo).

CONCLUSIONS

A two-category or greater increase in control (5-point scale) is useful for assessing the treatment benefit in men with PE; it corresponds with improvements in the man's perception of his condition, substantially greater prolongation of IELT, and higher levels of satisfaction with sexual intercourse.