April 2006 »

No approval on female Viagra

14 April, 2006

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants more studies to be done on the Intrinsa patch made by Procter & Gamble in order to find out what long-term side effects the drug may induce, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Intrinsa has been called "female Viagra" as it promises to restore healthy sexual appetites to women struggling with low desire.

Though experts say female sexuality is more complex than male, and affected more deeply by mood, self-esteem and the relationship, new studies of Intrinsa showed that the drug boosts desire by delivering small doses of testosterone through a woman's skin, thereby boosting the level of the male sex hormone in the bloodstream.

According to some estimates, the drug could help 11 million US women who are thought to suffer from a condition known in medical circles as hypoactive sexual desire disorder, or HSDD.

But though it took only six months for the FDA to approve Viagra for enhancing male libido, there is no approval in sight for the female version.

Source: http://health.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1190718.cms