Objectives: To assess the utility of perceived control over ejaculation ('control') in the evaluation of treatment benefit in men with premature ejaculation (PE), and to compare effects associated with a two-category or greater increase in this variable between men receiving dapoxetine and placebo.

Patients and methods: This subanalysis used combined data from all treatment groups in an integrated analysis of two identically designed, 12-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials of dapoxetine. Men (2614) met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fourth edition, text revision) criteria for PE, had a stopwatch-measured intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT) of < or =2 min in > or =75% of events in a 2-week baseline period, and self-reported moderate or severe PE. Men received placebo or dapoxetine 30 or 60 mg, 1-3 h before intercourse. The stopwatch-measured IELT was recorded for each episode; the patient-reported global impression of change (PGI; 7-point scale, 'much worse' to 'much better'), control and satisfaction with sexual intercourse (5-point scales, 'very poor' to 'very good') were assessed monthly. The utility of a two-category or greater increase in control was evaluated by examining the relationship of this variable with IELT and satisfaction with sexual intercourse.

Results: Of 2341 men with baseline and endpoint assessments, 96.8% reported 'very poor' or 'poor' control at baseline, and 748 (32%) reported a two-category or greater increase in control after treatment. More than 95% of those men rated their PE as 'slightly better', 'better', or 'much better' on the PGI; 67.1% gave ratings of 'better' or 'much better.' They also had greater improvements in IELT than men with less than a two-category increase in control, with a mean (sd) change from baseline of 3.7 (4.3) vs 0.77 (1.8) min, respectively, and a greater percentage reported good or very good satisfaction with sexual intercourse than men with less than a two-category increase in control (74% vs 19%, respectively). Nausea, headache and upper respiratory tract infection were the most common adverse events reported by men with a two-category or greater increase in control (15.8%, 7.4% and 6.6%, respectively) and those without (8.5%, 5.5% and 6.5%, respectively). The proportions of men with a two-category or greater increase in control with dapoxetine 30 and 60 mg were 36.3% and 44.5%, respectively (vs 15% with placebo).

Conclusions: A two-category or greater increase in control (5-point scale) is useful for assessing the treatment benefit in men with PE; it corresponds with improvements in the man's perception of his condition, substantially greater prolongation of IELT, and higher levels of satisfaction with sexual intercourse.