According to Africansuntimes, women could soon be prescribed ‘female Viagra’ to boost their sexual desire, after the drug was approved in the US.
The drug, called Addyi and dubbed ‘the pink pill’, changes a woman’s brain chemistry in order to boost libido.
It will be prescribed to women who report a low sex drive and say this has caused them emotional distress.
The daily pill has been given the green light by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the panel which approves drugs in the US, and will soon be prescribed by certified doctors throughout the country.
The move is a milestone long sought by the pharmaceutical industry, which has been eager to replicate the blockbuster success of impotence drugs for men.
Manufactured by Sprout Pharmaceuticals, the company has indicated that after Addyi is rolled out in America, it could turn its attention to Europe, including the UK.
However before the drug can be sold in Britain it will have to be licensed by the European Medicines Agency.
Addyi, known generically as flibanserin, is the first drug that acts on brain chemicals that affect mood and appetite.
Unlike Viagra, which affects blood flow to the genitals, flibanserin works on the brain.
It is similar to a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRI’s, that include antidepressants such as Prozac.
It needs to be taken every day.
Women and their doctors will have to decide whether the drug’s modest benefits warrant taking a psychiatric pill on a daily basis.
Company trials showed women taking the drug generally reported one extra ‘sexually satisfying event’ per month, and scored higher on questionnaires measuring desire.
Addyi has already twice been rejected by the FDA, due to concerns over lacklustre effectiveness and its side effects, which include fatigue, low blood pressure and fainting.(Continue reading)
Africansuntimes, Dailymail.co.uk