‘Female Viagra’ Flibanserine Approved By FDA Advisory Committee

An FDA advisory committee has voted to recommend that the FDA approve flibanserin, known as the “female Viagra” drug.

Flibanserine Approved By FDA Advisory Committee

Flibanserine, commonly called the “female Viagra,” aims to boost sexual desire in women, and has already been rejected twice by the FDA due to side effects of fainting, nausea, dizziness, sleepiness and low-blood pressure. The drug finally swayed the FDA advisory committee, which voted 18-6 in favor of flibanserin, thanks in part to testimonials from women suffering with Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder, which causes a low sex drive in otherwise healthy women, and doctors that treat them.

The committee added that they found the medication’s effects to be “moderate” and “marginal,” but approved it as the only medication made to help women with low sex drives. In fact, many critics believed that the prior rejections of the drug by the FDA were evidence of a gender bias and discrimination against female sexual health. The critiques led to the creation of two pro-female Viagra campaigns, Even the Score and Women Deserve, which are backed by Sprout, the company that owns flibanserin.

However, others believe that the pill’s side effects outweigh the benefits, and are especially skeptical of the drug trials, which they claim used only a small amount of specific candidates, meaning more side effects could still remain a mystery. Many suggest that the Sprout-backed campaigns are using inaccurate statistics to sway the public, and maintain that the drug is simply an example of a money-hungry pharmaceutical industry.

Other skeptics point to the psychological nature of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD), noting that Viagra treats a more direct, physical condition in erectile dysfunction, whereas flibanserin targets chemicals in the brain.