Menarini has launched dapoxetine for premature ejaculation in Singapore, having recently published a survey highlighting the rising problem of sexual dissatisfaction in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Italian drugmaker acquired Priligy (dapoxetine) from Johnson & Johnson last year and the drug is now approved in over 50 countries. It estimates that PE affects 34% of men in Singapore at some point in their lives.

Reinhard Ehrenberger, managing director of Menarini Singapore, said the launch is "empowering couples to take control and seek a solution to treat this underserved sexual dysfunction." He added that men and women affected by PE experience low self-confidence, anxiety, feelings of shame and avoidance of sexual intimacy, adversely affecting their relationships".

Dapoxetine rapidly increases the synaptic levels of serotonin in the central nervous system, thereby significantly improving symptoms of PE. It is taken one to three hours prior to sexual activity with a full glass of water.  

Menarini recently published the 2013 Asia-Pacific Sexual Behaviours and Satisfaction Survey, which revealed that 58% of men and 47% of women in Singapore believe that the ability to control when to ejaculate is a key factor in achieving mutual sexual satisfaction. 26% of men and 20% of women in the city state who have experienced PE say that it could potentially lead to relationship breakdown or divorce, and more than half of men with PE do not talk about or seek information on the condition.

Those results results come from a survey which polled more than 3,500 men and women aged 18-45 years old from nine markets in Asia-Pacific, including Australia, mainland China, South Korea and the Philippines. Key findings showed that three in four people in the region want to be more sexually active.