Erectile dysfunction is estimated to affect between 20% and 30% of men during their lifetime and many of its risk factors are shared with cardiovascular disease; it is often an antecedent to cardiovascular events. Injectable agents, given intracorporeally, were first described in the early 1980s and together with mechanical devices, such as vacuum pumps, were the main treatment option for men with erectile dysfunction prior to the advent of phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors in 1998. Intracorporeal drugs tend to be used as second-line therapy for men who are unresponsive to oral medications whilst topical presentations of alprostadil have developed from its injectable formulation, posing an interesting alternative management option for the impotent male.