The Food and Drug Administration will be considering the approval of Flibanserin tomorrow, a pill which is designed to increase female sex drive. Although Flibanserin was originally meant to be an antidepressant, it is now intended to treat hypoactive sexual desire disorder, and has been dubbed the “female version of Viagra.” According to CBS News, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists found that after 24-weeks of treatment women had increased sexual desire. However, clinical trials by the FDA found that the drug did not boost sexual desire any more than a placebo, reported the U.S. News and World Report. Since the launch of Viagra in 1998, there have been many attempts to find a drug for female sexual dysfunction, according to MSNBC. Unlike previous drugs which aimed to increase blood flow to the genitals or boost hormones, Flibanserin approaches the problem through altering brain chemistry. However, Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler, a urologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, said that sexual desire in women is so complex that it is unlikely that a pill could fully address sexual problems, according to MSNBC.
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