New Condom Works 'Harder' Than Others to Aid Sex

European men are about to discover that safer sex can be both responsible and fun, thanks to a British-made condom that has a Viagra-like effect on the wearer, a June 20 Reuters article reported.

However, unlike Viagra, the active substance is not ingested. Rather, it is a gel that coats the inside of the condom and is absorbed through the skin, reported AOL Weird News in a May 9 article.

The new condom counteracts the inability to sustain an erection that some men experience when wearing a condom. Men who suffer erectile dysfunction and cannot achieve an erection without pharmaceutical intervention would still need to take Viagra or a similar product.

The CSD500 condom, made by Futura Medical and marketed under the Durex brand, has just been approved for use in European nations, as well as some non-European territories. The condom is expected to hit the European market in about a month.

The CSD500 acts on the blood vessels on the penis in much the same way Viagra does, dilating the vessels that bring blood to the organ. As a result, men wearing the condom report harder -- and larger -- erections, the Reuters article reported.

"In a double blind clinical study comparing CSD500 against a standard condom co-sponsored by Futura, of those who expressed a preference, a significant proportion of both men and women reported improvements in the firmness of the man's erection during intercourse when using CSD500, compared against a standard condom, the company said," the Reuters article reported.

The Futura Medical website offers that information, plus a brief explanation of how the condom works.

"The product incorporates an erectogenic compound to help men maintain a firmer erection during intercourse whilst wearing a condom. The gel is to be licensed under the trademarked brand name of Zanifil�," the website's text reads.

"By applying the CSD500 condom, a pharmacological dose contained within the teat of the condom will be delivered to the penis. This has been clinically proven to increase local blood flow within the penis which in turn leads to increased firmness, increased penile size and longer duration of an erection."

The Wall Street Journal noted in an April 20 article that one selling point for the condom is that its use not only avoided the common pitfall of diminished sexual pleasure, but can enhance it -- which might help overcome reluctance among men to practice safer sex by using condoms. The hope is that by making men want to wear condoms, rather than shunning them, the rate of sexually transmitted infections will decline.

"This product would also reduce the chance of condoms slipping off during the intercourse, hence, preventing unwanted pregnancies and STDs," reported InternetLivingAtHome.com in a June 3 article.

"Futura is keen to stress that this is a serious clinical product developed to meet a medical need, not a recreational one," the Wall Street Journal article said. "However, the recreational market for Viagra is huge, with any number of sites offering it for sale online. 'Viagra condoms' will likely make the transition to lifestyle product even more quickly, given that customers won't face an off-putting trip to see the family doctor before they can buy some."

There is currently no timeline available for when the erection-enhancing condoms would become available on the American market.