Viagra is a drug that takes care of the erectile dysfunction of men. The women’s rights group had been accusing the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for being gender-biased in promoting the drugs for men and not for women.
FDA had finally approved a libido-enhancing drug, Flibanserin, marketed as, produced by Sprout Pharmaceuticals for women. It helps premenopausal women regain their sex drive and so is considered as “Female Viagra”.
The drug which boosts certain brain chemicals has only marginal effects. However, lack of effectiveness and the side effects like nausea, dizziness and fainting deterred the FDA from approving the drug on two earlier occasions.
The drug to treat the hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in premenopausal women was originally produced by a German company Boehringer Ingelheim. Sprout, a small company with 25 employees bought the drug and says the unmet medical need for a drug to treat HSDD or another condition, female sexual interest/arousal disorder (FSIAD) will be solved through promoting “Addyi”. The pharma is backed by the women’s rights group Even the Score,
Notably the attempt to develop such a drug had been abandoned by pharma giants like Pfizer, Bayer and Procter & Gamble.
