A New Condom with Something Extra

Condoms have long allowed couples to enjoy sex with few worries about pregnancy or disease. In recent years, erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra and Cialis have helped men improve their sexual performance. Now Britain’s Reckitt Benckiser and its partner Futura Medical think there could be big demand for a product that does both.

A condom under development by Reckitt Benckiser, the maker of Durex brand prophylactics, contains a dose of a Futura-produced gel called Zanifil inside the tip to stimulate blood flow within the penis. The two companies say their product helps men achieve firmer, larger erections and longer-lasting lovemaking. And unlike Pfizer’s Viagra impotence pill, which requires a prescription, the soon-to-be-named Zanifil-enhanced condom will be sold over the counter at stores in Europe next year. “It’s essentially Viagra in a condom,” says Polar Capital Holdings’ Daniel Mahony, who owns shares of Futura Medical.