Food and Drug Administration approves a new drug for boosting women’s sexual desire, it is unlikely to work the same magic on a couple’s sex life as “the little blue pill”
…Several feminist organizations have pointed out that 26 drugs are now marketed for men with sexual dysfunction, and not a single one has been approved for women.
…And even if flibanserin does get approved, it’s unlikely to work the same magic on a couple’s sex life as Viagra, said two experts, Dr.
…That’s because flibanserin targets sexual desire, a much more complicated issue than the mechanics of performance, both Minkin and Kavaler said.
…Several feminist organizations have pointed out that 26 drugs are now marketed for men with sexual dysfunction, and not a single one has been approved for women. They argue that the FDA has repeatedly rejected flibanserin’s drug approval application because of a sexist belief that women aren’t supposed to want or need sex.
…For instance, the drugs Lybridos and Lybrido, made by the company Emotional Brain, combine testosterone with either sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra; or BuSpar, an anti-anxiety drug, with the aim of treating women with low libido.
…In past trials, premenopausal women who took the drug reported, on average, gaining less than one additional pleasurable sexual experience per month, and some experienced side effects such as nausea, dizziness and drowsiness, Minkin said.
And unlike Viagra, which is taken only when someone wants to have sex, flibanserin must be taken daily, raising the risk of long-term side effects, according to a letter of concern sent by several women’s health organizations to the FDA last April.
…”Why is it that divorced women who date are interested in sex, or young women who date are interested in sex, but you can take a 35-year-old who’s got two kids — why would she want to have sex?