As the days move on, more scientific advances are being made, especially in the pharmaceutical field. The pharmaceutical industry is a multi-billion dollar enterprise that produces the medications that millions of people need to cure a myriad of ailments. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is charged with approving medications for release to the public. Recently, the FDA approved a drug that should be of interest to many women in our society. That drug is being touted as the “Female Viagra.”
In an 18-6 vote, the FDA decided to approve the pill, flibanserin, produced by Sprout Pharmaceutical. The FDA has rejected this drug twice since 2010. This female Viagra is made to increase women’s sex drive and has proven to do so in clinical trials. According to Talking Points Memo:
Flibanserin, which acts on serotonin and other brain chemicals, was originally studied by Boehringer Ingelheim as a depression treatment, but then repurposed as a libido pill after women reported higher levels of sexual satisfaction. The German conglomerate sold the drug in 2011 to Sprout, a Raleigh, North Carolina-based startup company.
However, the FDA’s approval of female Viagra comes with conditions that the pill makers work out some of the kinks. Reported side effects of filbanserin include fatigue, low blood pressure and fainting spells. TPM reports:
Panelists raised concerns about several safety issues seen with flibanserin, including low blood pressure and fainting spells. Those problems increased when patients combined the drug with alcohol and some commonly-used medications, including antifungal drugs. Sprout only studied the drug’s alcohol interaction in a small study of 25 patients, most of whom were men.
Would you try a female Viagra pill like filbanserin?