Should Bremelanotide Be Considered for the Treatment of Sexual Arousal and Desire Disorders in Men?

Bremelanotide (Vyleesi) was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2019 as an on-demand subcutaneous injectable for the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in premenopausal women. An editorial in the May-June 2026 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology suggests that the drug may hold promise for HSDD in men without testosterone deficiency but who have other disorders resulting from organic or psychogenic causes. Placebo-controlled and peer-reviewed studies would first be needed to confirm safety and efficacy in men.

The authors of the editorial are Dr. James G. Pfaus, PhD, a researcher from Charles University in Prague who specializes in the neurobiology of sexual behavior, and Dr. Richard Balon, MD, Associate Editor of this journal. Dr. Balon is on the faculty of Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit.

In this podcast, the authors discuss their editorial with Dr. Julia Ann Koretski, MD, who is JCP's Digital Editor and a staff psychiatrist at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Massachusetts.

Article doi: 10.1097/JCP.0000000000002179