 Wrigley: New departure |
Wrigley, the world's biggest chewing gum manufacturer, has patented a form of gum containing the active ingredient in top-selling anti-impotence drug Viagra. The gum, patented in November 2000, would contain up to 100 milligrams of sildenil citrate, the compound that gives Viagra its oomph.
According to the company's patent filing, users would need to start chewing the gum about 30 minutes before attempting to have sex.
The patent application also hints that chewing the gum might be a more effective way of ingesting the libido-boosting chemical, as it would be released into the bloodstream more gradually.
However, Wrigley stressed that it currently has no plans to start producing the product.
""There's been no development activity whatsoever, nor is any anticipated at present," a spokesman told the Reuters news agency.
"There's a huge difference between filing for a patent and actually developing a product, and finding one that's exactly right for commercialisation."
One immediate obstacle is that Viagra, made by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, is under patent protection for another eight years.
Viagra, currently available only in tablet form, has been hailed as a wonder drug by millions of men suffering from impotence worldwide.
It has also revitalised Pfizer's fortunes, raking in sales of $1.74bn last year.
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