FDA Approves Viagra For Women: Flibanserin

FDA (the United States Food and Drug Administration)’s advisory committee has approved Flibanserin, the experimental Viagra for women. In 2010 it rejected the pill for female libido over side effects concerns. Some of the side effects included nausea, dizziness and fainting.

Flibanserin is destined for post-menopausal women who experience a low sex drive. It is produced by the pharmaceutical company Sprout Pharmaceutical. The committee voted 18-6 when it received final approval and it gave rather apathetic recommendations. Regarding its effectiveness the advisory committee used terms such as “moderate” and “marginal” in order to describe it.

According to Julia Heiman from the Kinsey Institute managed by Indiana University the results are indeed very modest but they can make a difference regarding the clinical problem at a certain point.

Actually Flibanserin was firstly tested as an antidepressant, but it also proved to have a good impact on the sexual satisfaction of the participants in the study. Women who took Flibanserin reported that in a month they had between one half and one sexual experience more that was satisfying compared to participants who took placebo. Those women taking the drug also reported that they experienced higher levels of sexual desire and satisfaction.

Designed to improve performance and increase sexual desire in men, Viagra was introduced by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer in 1998. But in the case of women triggers like hormones and blood flood alterations did not prove to have an effective impact on their sexual desire. So the company that created the drug believes that a big part of the public needs a drug for boosting female libido.

Amanda Parrish from Nashville, Tennessee was one of the participants in the trial. She said that for her Flibanserin could be a drug that saves her relationship with her husband and saves her life.

The drug can be found under the name of Addyi. FDA warns that the drug can lead to loss of consciousness and cause the blood pressure to drop. The side effects are worse in combination with alcohol consumption. So persons taking the drug are warned not to drink alcohol at all.

FDA’s final decision is expected to come in August. They are not forced to follow the recommendations of the advisory committee but they do it in most of the cases.

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