https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-re ... ives/92177
Could a 'Placebo' Become the Next Big ED Treatment?
— Over-the-counter gel, said to spur near-instant erections, is on the cusp of approval in Europe
Regulators in Europe are close to approving an unusual over-the-counter treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED): a non-medicated gel that once was used as a placebo, but turned out to work just as well as the agent that was actually being tested. Meanwhile, the FDA just gave the OK for a trial of the treatment to start.
Research has suggested that the gel can spur erections within minutes in some patients after it is applied to the head of the penis. If it actually works, the gel -- technically a medical device, not a drug -- could be the biggest advance in ED since the advent of Viagra-type drugs in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The company said that 60% of participants began to experience erections within 5-10 minutes of applying the placebo. Side effects were rare, with headaches (2.8%) and penile burning (1.2%) reported, they added.
An anonymous blogger known as Neuroskeptic cast doubt on MED3000 in a March post, noting that the gel "has never been shown to be more effective than any control treatment -- because it was the control treatment ... Overall, I don't think anyone knows how well MED3000 will work if it makes it to market. If it works, I don't think anyone could say how it works -- whether it be the placebo effect, evaporation, or just, well, mechanical stimulation."