A UK pharmaceutical company called ORLIBID is in the process of creating a drug, codenamed ORL101 that could accomplish both those actions. If approved, it could be available in the UK as early as 2015. The drug supposedly harnesses the power of melanin, a hormone that is normally associated with tanning and that, until recently, wasn’t effective in pill form. It’s not exactly “female Viagra,” but it could provide hope for women with low sex drive.
Some early news stories about the new drug mistakenly reported that the drug is based on melatonin, rather than melanin. Melatonin is a completely different hormone that is associated with sleep-wake cycles and that has long been available in pill form.
What Is Melanin?
The term “melanin” is actually a broad term covering a group of natural pigments found in most organisms. Melanin is produced by specialized cells called melanocytes, which are found in the bottom layer of the skin’s epidermis, the uvea of the eye, the inner ear, the membranes covering the brain, the bones, and the heart. The three basic types of melanin are eumelanin, pheomelanin, and neuromelanin. ORLIBID has not specified publicly which type of melanin is used in the new drug it is developing for female sex drive. In humans, melanin determines skin color, hair color, and color in the iris of the eye. In the human brain, tissues containing melanin include the medulla and certain neurons in the brainstem.
How Melanin Affects Sex Drive
An article in Mens Health UK says that the melanin responsible for tanning of skin boosts sex drive. A 2009 article in Elle also suggests that basking in sunlight may increase libido. Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone, or MSH, has been linked to higher sex drive in women, and exposure to sunlight elevates the production of MSH. A 2012 article on MSN Living further elucidates the reasoning behind the melanin-sex drive link. Exposure to sunlight increases MSH production, and the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin is also related to sunlight exposure, as is dopamine, which stimulates the brain’s pleasure centers.
How Melanin Affects Appetite
A type of MSH is produced by neurons called POMC neurons, which are located in the brain’s arcuate nucleus, part of the hypothalamus. MSH plays a role in the suppression of appetite. In fact, some cases of extreme obesity have been traced to mutations in brain receptors for this type of MSH, rendering the person’s body incapable of responding to MSH’s appetite suppression effects.
Though pharmaceutical companies have long known about the effects of melanin on libido, the challenge has been producing the effects through a pill rather than an injection. So far, the pills appear to produce fewer side effects, with nausea the most common side effect reported. ORL101 will have to be proven to be non-addictive, and ORLIBID plans to carry out three studies on women in order to gain approval for the drug in the UK. The company also plans to investigate whether the drug may be helpful to men who have not found success with existing drugs like testosterone or erectile dysfunction (ED) medications. There is no word yet on whether the company has plans to introduce the drug in other markets, including the United States.
Though a “female Viagra” has proven elusive, millions of men worldwide have been able to successfully treat ED with Viagra and other drugs in its class. eDrugstore.com dispenses genuine Viagra by Pfizer at competitive prices with the utmost concern for customer privacy and discretion. eDrugstore.com is also committed to the highest standards of customer service and online privacy.
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