At last, after years of seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration and performing series of trials and debates, the first ever 'Female Viagra', victory has been certified. The regulatory board has approved the distribution and manufacture of Addyi, known generically as flibanserin, a drug that can increase sex drive and libido in women on Tuesday.
"Today's approval provides women distressed by their low sexual desire with an approved treatment option," Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research told NBC News.
Pharmaceutical experts claimed that flibanserin will be approved within the week and they were right. Now, the first official drug to cure low sex drive in women manufactured by Sprout Pharmaceuticals can be bought in the market. However, unlike its male counterpart, this drug is not intended to target the female genitals but it specifically targets the female pleasure center in the brain, reports New Zealand Herald.
It can be taken daily to increase sexual desire for women over time. It changes the brain's capability to respond to various neurotransmitter messages that can alter the pleasure center of a woman's brain. However, some are still reluctant due to some safety issues of the drug.
According to Forbes, some side effects of the drug are dizziness, decreased blood pressure, sleepiness and even fainting. Furthermore, alcohol intake is contraindicated with the drug. This might cause hesitancy and unwillingness for physicians to prescribe the drug. Lastly, it is very costly.
According to Cindy Whitehead, chief executive officer of Sprout Pharmaceuticals, "We are one step closer to bringing to market the first treatment option for the most common form of female sexual dysfunction."