{"id":14128,"date":"2016-02-09T09:00:10","date_gmt":"2014-02-09T16:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.accessrx.com\/blog\/?p=14128"},"modified":"2014-02-09T09:00:10","modified_gmt":"2014-02-09T16:00:10","slug":"will-we-ever-see-a-viagra-for-women-m0117","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction\/viagra\/will-we-ever-see-a-viagra-for-women-m0117\/","title":{"rendered":"Will We Ever See a Viagra for Women?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Women
Women with low sexual desire have very limited options for addressing their concerns.<\/figcaption><\/figure>Men have numerous medical options (such as Viagra) for improving sexual performance and enjoyment, but women basically have none.<\/p>\n

WebMD has reported<\/a> that 43% of women experience sexual problems, including low sex drive, which is called \u201chypoactive sexual desire disorder\u201d (HSDD) in clinical settings. HSDD is characterized by having few to no sexual desires or fantasies, and the results can be relationship problems and additional stress. Studies concerning a drug called flibanserin have been submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment of HSDD in women, but twice it has been rejected.<\/p>\n

What Is Flibanserin?<\/strong><\/p>\n

First developed by a company called Boehringer Ingelheim, flibanserin was rejected by the FDA in 2010. At that time, Boehringer Ingelheim discontinued development of the drug. However, a company called Sprout Pharmaceuticals took over the drug in 2011, and resubmitted data to the FDA, including 14 new clinical studies on more than 3,000 new patients. Overall, more than 11,000 women have participated in flibanserin clinical trials.<\/p>\n

Flibanserin works in an entirely different manner than drugs like Viagra that are used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) in men. Flibanserin was initially investigated as a possible antidepressant, and is not a hormonal treatment. It does not appear to affect a woman\u2019s fertility, nor does it interact with birth control pills. It increases the levels of neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, while lowering levels of serotonin. Excitatory activity in the brain is driven by dopamine and norepinephrine, while inhibitory activity is serotonin-driven. A balance between the two systems is important for healthy sexual response in women. Flibanserin modulates these neurotransmitters to produce higher sex drive. To be effective, it must be taken every day.<\/p>\n

What Did Flibanserin Studies Show?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Studies
Studies of flibanserin showed an increase in \u201csatisfying sexual events\u201d in the women taking it.\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2013, the Journal of Sexual Medicine<\/i> reported<\/a> that women taking flibanserin reported an average increase of 2.5 \u201csatisfying sexual events\u201d in four weeks. This compared to an increase of 1.5 sexually satisfying events in women who were taking a placebo. Evaluation of whether the improvement was meaningful to the women taking the drug showed a significantly higher rate of meaningful benefit to women who took flibanserin compared to the placebo group. Side effects were minimal, and mostly consisted of dizziness, sleepiness, and nausea. The average age of the women in the trials was 36.<\/p>\n

How Did the FDA Respond?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The FDA rejected Sprout Pharmaceutical\u2019s submission<\/a> of study data on flibanserin, sending the company a Complete Response Letter (CRL) in October 2013 asking for more information before the drug could be approved. Sprout insists they have provided more than enough data for the FDA to approve the drug. The FDA accepted Sprout\u2019s appeal of the decision on December 3, and plans to rule on it sometime in the first quarter of 2014. The chances, however, aren\u2019t great: of the 17 appeals the FDA considered in 2012, 14 were denied<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some women\u2019s health researchers are furious at the FDA\u2019s action. Dr. Irwin Goldstein, director of Sexual Medicine at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego, worries that the FDA\u2019s decision could dash hopes for pharmacological treatments for low sexual desire in women, telling CNN<\/a>, \u201cIt will go back to dark ages of saying, ‘This is all a relationship problem,’ even though we know it’s not.”<\/p>\n

Are There Alternatives?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There really aren\u2019t any good medical alternatives for women who want help with HSDD. Experimental treatments are in the works, including the drugs Lybrido and Lybridos<\/a>, developed by Emotional Brain. But the company\u2019s website<\/a> has only spoken of \u201cvery promising\u201d study results that will be published \u201csoon.\u201d Palatin Technologies is researching a drug called Bremelanotide, for men and women, though it has not completed Phase III trials, which are necessary for FDA approval.<\/p>\n

Other attempts at treating HSDD have been disappointing too<\/a>. Pfizer, manufacturer of Viagra, stopped working on a female version of the drug in 2004. Two large studies of testosterone gel for women made by BioSante Pharmaceuticals failed in 2011. A testosterone patch submitted by Proctor and Gamble to the FDA in 2004 was denied by the FDA due to questions about long term safety. In other words, the wait for a \u201cfemale Viagra\u201d could be longer than expected.<\/p>\n

eDrugstore.com<\/a> is committed to improving sexual health and satisfaction, and dispenses prescription drugs like Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra, plus nonprescription lifestyle products like Stimula for Men and Stimula for Women. eDrugstore.com<\/a> is committed to the most stringent standards of customer privacy, speedy shipping, and secure online ordering.<\/p>\n

Photo Credits: Witthaya Phonsawat \/ freedigitalphotos.net<\/a>, photostock \/ freedigitalphotos.net<\/a> <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Men have numerous medical options (such as Viagra) for improving sexual performance and enjoyment, but women basically have none. WebMD has reported that 43% of women experience sexual problems, including low sex drive, which is called \u201chypoactive sexual desire disorder\u201d (HSDD) in clinical settings. HSDD is characterized by having few to no sexual desires or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_autoblog_aioseo_focus_keyphrase":"","_autoblog_aioseo_title":"","_autoblog_aioseo_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[541,184,542],"class_list":["post-14128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-viagra","tag-flibanserin","tag-viagra","tag-viagra-for-women"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t