Man’s eternal quest for faster and ever-more efficient ways to shoot blood into his penis has taken a step into the 21st century. We’re now using nanotechnology to churn out our boners, thanks to an Egyptian-made transdermal patch.
When you take Sildenafil citrate (Viagra) orally, up to 70 per cent of the drug is stolen away by your liver, presumably for tiny awesome liver boners. Wholly unacceptable. Researchers at Egypt’s Alexandria University tackled the problem with a nanodelivery system similar to the way cancer treatment drugs are delivered. Because that’s what not having an erection is: a terrible condition we must stave off at any cost. The patch uses a “self-emulsifying” nanocarrier to bond it to lipids and allow it to cross membranes.
The research looks good, but we’re not sure when you’ll be able to pick up a boner patch at your local pharmacy. Whenever it does arrive, though, remember this: Faster effect and fewer side effects are good things in any medication, but god help the poor unfortunate idiot who slaps a dozen on his arm mistakenly looking for a nicotine fix. [IEEE Spectrum]
Image: Shutterstock/Chris Leachman