On the market since October 2015, Addyi has failed to impress in terms of sales or consumer experience. As a result, the market for a drug to reignite female sexual desire remains wide open.
More than three years after its long-awaited debut on the U.S. market, Addyi, the only prescription drug approved for the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in women, remains something of a nonstarter with consumers.
Wildly hyped in advance of its conditional approval by the Food and Drug Administration in August 2015, Addyi’s initial disappointing sales performance was blamed on a less-than-inspired marketing strategy by Valeant Pharmaceuticals. Although it was North Carolina-based Sprout Pharmaceuticals that won FDA approval for Addyi, both the drug and Sprout itself were snatched up by Canadian-based Valeant Pharmaceuticals within a day or two of approval.
FDA Imposes Strict Rules
Also seen as a drag on Addyi’s marketing prospects are stringent FDA regulations governing both the prescribing and dispensing of the drug. Doctors who sought to prescribe Addyi, as well as pharmacists hoping to dispense the drug, are first required to take a short online course in order to win certification to deal with the drug. A black label warning against concurrent use of Addyi and alcohol further discourages women who think Addyi might be of help to them.
However, the primary reason for Addyi’s disappointing sales performance has probably been its limited effectiveness in firing up the libidos of premenopausal women. During clinical trials, women taking flibanserin, the active ingredient in Addyi, experienced an average of one-half to one whole additional satisfying sexual experience a month, compared with those given placebo, according to Healthline.com. That’s only a fairly modest improvement, given the adverse side effects some of the women experienced while taking the drug. These included dizziness, fatigue, and nausea.
Addyi and Viagra Are Not Alike
Although Addyi has acquired the nickname “female Viagra,” the two medications are not at all alike. Viagra and the other popular ED drugs known as PDE5 inhibitors temporarily improve vascular function, optimizing blood flow to the penis and making it easier to get and keep an erection. Addyi works on brain chemistry, lowering brain levels of serotonin, said to lower sexual desire, while increasing brain levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, which tend to increase sexual desire.
Differing in yet another respect from Viagra and most of the other PDE5 inhibitors, Addyi must be taken daily to produce increased sexual desire, albeit relatively modest improvements. The vast majority of men’s ED drugs are designed to be taken on demand, roughly 30 to 60 minutes before the anticipated start of sexual activity.
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