A young couple in Beijing
© AFP/File Goh Chain HinSINGAPORE (AFP) - "It is a prevalent issue," Jude Selvaraj, Pfizer's medical adviser in Singapore and Malaysia, told AFP at the launch of Pfizer's new diagnostic kit to help men deal with erectile dysfunction.
"You are talking about 20 percent plus," he said, giving a rough figure.
Sex is still a taboo subject in much of Asia and many men are reluctant to admit they suffer from the problem, or to seek medical help, said Selvaraj.
According to Pfizer, which makes the anti-impotency drug Viagra, erectile dysfunction affects between 13 and 28 percent of all men aged 40 to 80.
The number of men suffering from the condition is estimated to increase to 322 million by 2025, from more than 152 million in 1995, Pfizer said.
Pfizer's new diagnostic kit, the Erection Hardness Score (EHS), grades erection hardness from one to four to provide a guide for assessing sexual status.
A score of four means the penis is completely rigid while a score of one means it is larger but not hard, Pfizer said in a statement.
"The EHS provides a quantitative measure of the degree of erection hardness and therefore treatment efficacy in patients with erectile dysfunction," the firm said.
Victoria Lehmann, a sex therapist from Britain, said the EHS was easy to use and would help couples address the problem.
"It's quick. It provides a really clear language to both doctors and patients," she said at the launch.
Lehmann likened a score of one to tofu. Four is similar to a cucumber, she said.
A survey released last week said Asia's lovers rate sex far less highly than those elsewhere around the globe, spend less time having intercourse and are not as likely to reach orgasm.
Condom-maker Durex surveyed more than 26,000 people in 26 countries and found Asians ranked themselves among the least satisfied with their sex lives.
©AFP