Johnson's dapoxetine has been under review by the Food and Drug Administration for six months, and industry experts said the drug might soon become the first approved for the condition, which is estimated to affect 15 percent to 30 percent of American men, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

A major study presented during the American Urological Association annual meeting in San Antonio suggested dapoxetine could help men delay orgasm, the Journal said.

The companies have been encouraged by the $2.5 billion-a-year erectile dysfunction industry. The companies, experts say, are hoping the new treatments will, as did Viagra, represent the next generation of lifestyle drugs.

Physicians have been prescribing existing drugs to treat the condition for some time.

Anti-depressants, including Paxil and Zoloft, have been found to delay orgasm, as have prescription topical numbing agents, such as lidocaine.

A range of unproven over-the-counter products, such as the herb damiana, have also been prescribed.