Viagra For Her: U.S. Okays Pill Of DesireWASHINGTON, United States. “No woman gets an orgasm from shining the kitchen floor,” the American feminist writer-activist Betty Friedan once observed. Women across the world who have low libido could soon have a glow on their face if they take a shine to flibanserin, erroneously dubbed the ‘female Viagra’ or ‘ pink Viagra’ , which the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved on Tuesday to critical reviews and universal interest.
While Viagra treats men with erectile dysfunction, flibanserin is aimed at combating female sexual interest/arousal disorder which affects women with low libido. Unlike Viagra and allied erectile dysfunction medication for men which simply increase blood flow to the penis, flibanserin works on a woman’ s brain, targeting key neurotransmitters or chemicals that affect sexual desire.
Sprout Pharmaceuticals, which won the FDA approval after two previous rejections for a pill it will market under the brand name Addyi, explained in a press release that the drug corrects ” an imbalance of levels of these neurotransmitters by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine (both responsible for sexual excitement) and decreasing serotonin (responsible for sexual inhibition)”
The approval is not without controversy: opponents range from closet Talibanist conservatives to those who insist that the drug has not been proven safe for long term-use, its efficacy has not been fully established and there are too many side-effects.
Sprout itself germinated controversy by backing a campaign called ‘ Even the Score’ , aimed at pressuring the FDA to approve the drug, arguing that while there are several approved treatments for male sexual dysfunction, pervasive gender bias had foiled treatment for women.
After a hearing in June, an FDA panel voted 18-6 in favour of putting flibanserin on the market but emphasized that the drug manufacturer would be required to include safety warnings when the drug is marketed. Side effects cited include dizziness, nausea, fatigue, somnolence and insomnia.
Both the drug company and marketing executives maintain that Addyi or flibanserin is not the female equivalent of Viagra nor is it designed to address a slump in the female sex life; it is a medical treatment for women suffering from a real disorder. The pill, which was originally developed as an antidepressant, will have to be taken daily for it to be effective.
Credit: The Times of India
