With some pills it can take up to an hour to work the magic. But for the couple seeking something a little more spontaneous scientists have now invented an inhaler for erectile dysfunction that bears results in eight minutes.

"It's a spontaneous product for a spontaneous need," says Chris Blackwell, the chief executive of British firm Vectura, which has taken seriously the rule that consumers want instant gratification and may find the wait of up to an hour with some of the older, pill-based products disconcerting.

The drug in the new inhaler, apomorphine, is already used in tablet form to treat erectile dysfunction; but Vectura says its action can be speeded up dramatically if it is breathed directly into the lungs.

Viagra, the "little blue pill" made by the giant US drugs firm Pfizer, was the first mass-market treatment for erectile dysfunction, and provided popular culture with a new euphemism for talking about shortcomings in the bedroom.

Mr Blackwell and his colleagues are hoping to cash in on the greater awareness of erectile dysfunction which Viagra's invention brought about - and to steal some of Pfizer's customers - by promising that its drug, so far known only as VR004, will act faster.

More than 50 million men in the US and Europe are thought to suffer from the problem. More than £1.4bn-worth of drugs for the condition are already sold every year, and the size of the market is expected to increase, as increasingly prevalent obesity and cardiovascular complaints can often lead to bedroom failure.

Vectura is trying to raise up to £25m from City investors to help develop the inhaler, which is in clinical trials. If it is successful, the company hopes to follow it up with another scientific breakthrough - an inhaler for premature ejaculation.