{"id":7526,"date":"2016-10-16T09:36:47","date_gmt":"2014-10-16T09:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.edrugstore.md\/blog\/?p=7526"},"modified":"2014-10-16T17:30:23","modified_gmt":"2014-10-16T17:30:23","slug":"the-pros-and-cons-of-the-pink-pill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/current-health-news\/the-pros-and-cons-of-the-pink-pill\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pros and Cons of the Pink Pill"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Women
Women are growing increasingly impatient waiting for the government to approve medications designed to treat their symptoms of sexual dysfunction.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s easy to understand why women in this country feel somewhat slighted by U.S. drug regulators and even Big Pharma. Thanks in particular to the PDE5 inhibitors, such as Viagra, on the market since early 1998, their male partners have had plenty of help in overcoming sexual challenges in the bedroom.<\/p>\n

Women also experience sexual dysfunction, the most common manifestation of which is hypoactive sexual desire disorder, or HSDD. It\u2019s estimated that 10 percent of all American women suffer from HSDD, which includes among its primary symptoms an absence of sexual fantasies and a lack of desire for sexual activity.<\/p>\n

Frustration and Anger <\/b><\/p>\n

Women are understandably frustrated and even angry that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has thus far turned thumbs down on all medications proposed to treat HSDD. Even the Score, a women\u2019s sexual health advocacy initiative, is pushing a petition to pressure the FDA to approve some form of treatment option for HSDD. The organization points out that the FDA has approved 26 drugs — including five PDE5 inhibitors — for the treatment of men with various forms of sexual dysfunction but not a single medication to help women.<\/p>\n

As with any new medication — whatever that might turn out to be — questions arise about not just the benefits such a drug might offer for women but also what, if any, downside there might be.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Over the years, two primary approaches to treating female sexual dysfunction have been widely discussed. A formulation of Viagra designed specifically for women would mimic the effects of the drug for males by promoting strong blood flow to the female genitalia. The other primary approach to treating sexual dysfunction in women would cause subtle changes in brain chemistry to help fire up the female libido.<\/p>\n

At present, women are pinning their hopes on the latter approach as provided by a drug called flibanserin, a non-hormonal drug designed to relieve the symptoms of HSDD in pre-menopausal women. The drug\u2019s manufacturer, North Carolina-based Sprout Pharmaceuticals, is hoping that the FDA will soon give flibanserin the green light after rejecting prior requests for approval and asking for further testing.<\/p>\n

Over 12 Years of Research <\/b><\/p>\n

Cindy Whitehead, chief executive officer of Sprout Pharmaceuticals, recently told WNCN reporter Melanie Sanders that research into flibanserin has gone on for more than 12 years and has involved clinical trials with more than 11,000 women. Whitehead said Sprout will soon resubmit its application for flibanserin\u2019s approval and hopes to win the FDA\u2019s nod by late 2015.<\/p>\n

Known unofficially as \u201cfemale Viagra,\u201d flibanserin\u2019s little pink pills (a gender-appropriate color contrast to Viagra\u2019s little blue pills) are still at least a year away from FDA approval. Nevertheless, observers are chiming in with their thoughts about possible drugs to treat HSDD and their likely benefits and drawbacks.<\/p>\n

In an article posted at EmpowHER.com, writer Shaina Gaul offers an interesting review of some of the pros and cons that might be seen in a drug for women that works by increasing blood flow to the genitals, much like the PDE5 inhibitors for men. Here is a look at her views, contrasted with the likely pros and cons of flibanserin.<\/p>\n

\"The
The most common manifestation of female sexual dysfunction is hypoactive sexual desire disorder.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pros of Female Viagra<\/b><\/p>\n

On the positive side, Gaul notes that a true female version of Viagra could improve circulation and thus increase the energy level in women with certain conditions. Among such diseases and disorders, she listed autoimmune disorders like lupus, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, neurological diseases, and thyroid disorders.<\/p>\n

However, unlike the PDE5 inhibitors that work by optimizing blood flow to the male genitals, flibanserin works \u201cworks on key chemicals in the brain to basically increase desire and decrease distress,” Sprout CEO Whitehead says. “So it has a positive effect on the positives, and a negative effect on the negatives.”<\/p>\n

Side Effects of Medications <\/b><\/p>\n

Another benefit of a female version of Viagra, says Gaul, would be its ability \u201cto counteract the loss the libido incurred as a result of certain medications.\u201d She cites blood pressure medications and antidepressants as some of the big offenders in this area. Interestingly, these same medications can cause erection problems for men. Although flibanserin works on brain chemicals rather than blood flow, it is likely that it could help overcome the side effects of drugs such as those cited by Gaul.<\/p>\n

In looking at the benefits of a female counterpart to Viagra — one that works primarily by improving blood flow to the vagina — Gaul speculates that it would likely make it easier for women to achieve orgasm. She says that increased blood flow would hopefully increase lubrication and relax the muscles of the vagina. It\u2019s entirely possible that flibanserin\u2019s subtle shifts in brain chemistry could also achieve such benefits, albeit via a different route.<\/p>\n

Increasing Sexual Desire<\/b><\/p>\n

Looking at some of the possible disadvantages to a female version of Viagra, high on the list for Gaul is its likely inability to increase desire. This obviously would not be a problem with flibanserin, which works on brain chemicals specifically to increase sexual desire.<\/p>\n

\"The
The day-to-day stresses of life can dampen a woman’s interest in sexual activity.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of a medication that would be a true female counterpart of Viagra by promoting blood flow to the female genitals, Gaul sought the opinion of Sandra Lieblum, director for sexual and marital health at UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, New Jersey. Lieblum observed that \u201cwhat the genitals are doing may play a less important role in how a woman defines her sexual arousal. I don\u2019t think there will ever be an aphrodisiac that will make [women] want to have sex all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prohibitive Cost for Some?<\/b><\/p>\n

Another likely disadvantage of a true female version of Viagra, says Gaul, would be its high cost, putting it out of reach for women of modest means. This, of course, might be equally true for flibanserin, assuming it eventually wins FDA approval, as Sprout would almost necessarily have to put a high price on the drug to recoup its sizable investment during more than a decade of research and clinical trials.<\/p>\n

For those who might be hopeful that a female Viagra would be covered by their health plans, Gaul notes that \u201cwomen\u2019s sexual health products . . . have a long history of being controversial . . . which may prevent them from being covered by insurance plans.\u201d There\u2019s no reason to assume that health insurers would take any more kindly view of flibanserin, if and when it wins FDA approval.<\/p>\n

Female Sexual Response <\/b><\/p>\n

In an overview of the complexities of female sexual response posted at MayoClinic.com, Jacqueline M. Thielen, M.D., explains that increasing arousal, such as a female equivalent of Viagra might do, \u201cmay not get to the actual problem \u2014 which is often a lack of sexual desire.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Thielen, who is associated with the famed health center\u2019s Women\u2019s Health Clinic, says a wide variety of factors influence sexual desire in women. High on the list of such factors, she cites:<\/p>\n