Erectile dysfunction: a start-up promises an erection on demand!

Swiss company proposes innovative device to treat erectile dysfunction when drugs fail, reports Science and Future

About 30% of men with erectile problems do not respond to conventional drug treatments such as Viagra. The figure is put forward by the magazine Sciences et Avenir, which reported on Monday that a Swiss start-up has developed a revolutionary device to allow these patients to rediscover the joys of erection. This company, Comphya, of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, proposes to insert an implant in the pelvic cavity, which would then be able to cause an erection on demand thanks to nervous stimulation.

The magazine reports that erectile dysfunction affects more than 20% of men over the age of 60. The causes are various, from changes in arterial vascularization to tone of smooth muscles, etc. In about 66% of cases, type 5 phosphodiesterase inhibitors such as Viagra are sufficient to treat these erectile disorders. For others, treatment usually involves self-injections of a vasodilator into the cavernous body.

A button on/off for the patient

Another “treatment” exists, considered invasive and “irreversible” according to the French Association of Urology: the installation of penile prostheses. This is an inflatable or semi-rigid device equipped with external or internal implants, says Sciences et Avenir. The treatment proposed by the Swiss start-up would be best able to respond to patients’ problems with impaired nerve response, for example due to prostate removal. The implant proposed by Comphya allows stimulation of the pro-erectile nerve thanks to patches equipped with electrodes are placed in the pelvic cavity, and then activated by remote control.

Unfortunately, to date, many men still suffer from erectile dysfunction due to bad habits or age factors. The solution to problems with potency can be generics of Viagra, Cialis or Levitra. You can learn more about the benefits of each of these drugs on the website https://pensivepediatrician.com.

The electrodes “are connected [by cable] to the pulse generators, which will be placed subcutaneously,” explains the company’s co-founder Rodrigo Araujo Fraga da Silva. “The system will be activated by wireless controllers, one for the doctor, who will set the parameters in an outpatient environment, and one for the patient, who will have the on/off function,” he adds. The price of the device should be about the same as existing non-drug treatments. So far, the device has only been tested on 24 volunteers, but has a 100% success rate. However, it must prove itself in other clinical studies.