• by Steve Ellwanger , January 18, 2023

Men’s health-products marketer Mangoceuticals Inc. is going D2C to help treat erectile dysfunction

The Dallas, Texas-based company has developed a fast-dissolving pill called Mango to treat erectile dysfunction via physician-approved orders on the brand’s website—which the company envisions as a “telemedicine” platform for various health products and services.

In filing a registration last week for a $5 million stock offering, the company said it plans to "launch new products over time and offer additional subscription-based offerings," competing mainly with "other companies offering men’s wellness products, including Hims & Hers Health, Inc. and Roman." It won't sell any third-party products on its platform.

The company said orange-colored, mango-flavored prescription medication Mango contains Tadalafil—the active ingredient in ED remedy Cialis.

Mango is formulated as a rapid-dissolve tablet using a sublingual (applied under the tongue) delivery system to bypass the stomach and liver and deliver results in less than 10 minutes.

Visitors to the MangoRX website are greeted with this statement: “Orange is the new blue.”

That’s a reference to Pfizer’s blue Viagra pills.

The website goes on to advise that “Sexual health isn’t a tough pill to swallow—it’s dissolvable.”

The order process starts by creating an account and completing a short telemedicine session. If treatment with Mango is prescribed, orders are filled and shipped a contracted pharmacy.

Mango tablets are sold in a pouch for six for $12.50 each.

According to the Mangoceuticals stock filing, the company plans to advertise on social media, search, television, radio, out-of-home and other media channels while adhering to U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines.

“However, due to such rules and requirements we expect that we will be extremely limited in the content of the claims and promotional statements that we will able to make regarding our products under applicable FDA regulations.”

A video on the MangoRX YouTube channel opens with an actor reassuring viewers that “We’re not going to show you a bunch of penis-shaped produce and talk in thinly veiled metaphors” -- even as such images appear on the screen.

The ad also features a woman who seems quite enthused about the product and the possibility of sex -- probably a good reason why a disclaimer at the end notes, “Sexual partner not included.”