FDA Disapproves the “Pink Viagra” Pill Flibanserin
There has been a lot of buzz in the news lately about female Viagra, aka pink Viagra. A German pharmaceutical company, Boehringer, developed a medicine called flibanserin, which has shown promise in “treating” sexual dysfunction in women.
Flibanserin was initially developed as an antidepressant, but in later studies it was fairly successful in treating Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD), which is characterized by the decrease or loss of sexual fantasies and desire in women for a period of time. Unlike Viagra, which treats erectile dysfunction in men by improving the man’s physical sexual ability, flibanserin works on the woman’s mind and improves her mood.
Watch the following CBS report for more information about HSDD and this new pill.
But don’t get too excited about this! An expert panel at the FDA has already voted against flibanserin. The following CBS video report has more about this decision.
That’s just another “female Viagra” pill (added to a few dozens more) that gets a ‘No’ from the FDA. There should definitely be more attempts by drug makers in the future to come up with a feminine Viagra counterpart, but will there ever be such a drug with its benefits outweighing its side effects? Let’s keep watching.
The Quest for Decent Female Viagra Continues
For most men, making love is a mere mechanical process that only requires a rigid erection. That’s why male sexual dysfunction can be effectively treated with a pill, like Viagra.
But for women, sexual dysfunction is more complicated and requires more than just a drug to deal with. Common sexual dysfunctions in women, e.g. low libido, are usually caused by psychological factors that no medication has yet been clinically proven to address effectively.
While some drugs, like the famous Viagra, are being prescribed off-label to women who suffer from sexual difficulties, there’s no medication that is approved by the FDA as a “female Viagra”.
Many pharmaceutical companies around the world are still in search for a female counterpart of Viagra, but until something is proven to solidly work (if any), women can discuss their sexual problems with their doctor and/or partner to work things out.
In the following video, Dr. Jennifer Ashton speaks to CBS HealthWatch about Flibanserin, an antidepressant drugs that could be the long-waited-for female libido booster.