‘Female Viagra’ Addyi (Flibanserin) hits the American market

American women rejoiced on Saturday 17^th October after the commonly touted ‘female Viagra’ finally launched in the United States.

Addyi (known generically as Flibanserin) finally received the required approval from the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) on 18 August, albeit reluctantly, with the little pink pill previously facing two rejections on account of concerns about just how effective it was and any potential side effects – especially when alcohol is consumed.

The FDA have strongly warned that women should never drink alcohol while taking Addyi as the risk of fainting is high. This also poses a higher risk for drivers.

However, women that have lost their sexual desire can now go to their doctor and ask for Addyi (it is available on prescription only), and should find that they will be quizzed about their current method of birth control, prescribed medications, relationship with their partner, as well as if they have previously suffered from depression or other mental health problems.

The National Institute of Health claim that around 40% of women in America suffer from female sexual dysfunction, but Addyi is targeted at the estimated 10% of premenopausal women – around 16 million American women – who suffer from hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). HSDD is characterised as a constant lack of sexual thoughts and interest in sexual activity, resulting in a state of distress and cannot be explained by another medical condition or substance, such as anxiety or relationship issues.

Addyi becomes the first pill-based treatment of any type of low sexual desire, and many women will be unaware it has launched. Moreover, American women will not be inundated with advertisements on television, radio, print or digital advertising for at least 18 months.

The drug’s manufacturer’s – Sprout Pharmaceuticals - has agreed to forgo all paid advertising for more than a year to slightly ease the FDA’s worries about Addyi’s safety.

The promise to FDA will not prevent Sprout from promoting Addyi via various other popular mediums, with Sprout’s eagerness to engage with women through social media, in addition to holding interviews with media outlets and other influential organisations, demonstrating a new way forward for pharmaceutical marketing strategy.

“I think what they’re doing is pretty clever, actually,” Dan Leinweber, president at a boutique PR firm called Leinweber Associates, said. “This is a much less costly way to get their word out in a much more credible way.”

Widely popular erectile dysfunction treatment Viagra also happened to be a completely new treatment within a new class of sexual medicine upon its introduction to the world back in 1998. In the subsequent 17 years, ‘the little blue pill’ Viagra has easily become one of the most heavily advertised drugs in the world, bringing in massive amounts of profit for its maker Pfizer. An incredible $232 million was spent on advertising Viagra by Pfizer in 2014, and Viagra brought in a record $2 billion in revenue in 2012.

Thus far, it remains to be seen if Sprout will begin to look at the UK and other European countries for a release of Addyi, with no word yet on their future plans for the drug. Before any drug is sold in Britain though, it has to receive a license from the European Medicines Agency. Keep checking the Medical Specialists® Pharmacy website for further updates.

Female Viagra drug Flibanserin on the cusp of FDA approval

Since Pfizer’s male impotence wonder drug Viagra first burst onto the scene an incredible 17 years ago, it was subsequently joined by Eli Lily’s Cialis and Bayer’s Levitra by 2003.

Over the next 12 years the industry has witnessed variations on these such as the lower-strength Cialis Daily tablets for the more ‘active’ male and Levitra orodispersible tablets – especially suitable for men who aren’t comfortable with swallowing pills, wanting to take it with some discretion and without the requirement of a glass of water.

Men also have the options of the newer erectile dysfunction treatment Spedra (Avanafil) or Vitaros cream – ideal for men that have not experienced success with the aforementioned PDE5 inhibitor tablets or cannot take PDE5s for medical reasons.

If all that wasn’t enough choice, men suffering with premature ejaculation have over-the-counter premature ejaculation treatments such as Stud 100 Spray, condoms containing benzocaine like Durex Performa (to prolong climax), whilst there is also prescription medication such as Priligy, which is taken orally and works to prolong a man’s sexual performance by an average of 200% to 300%.
Simply put, men are spoilt for choice when it comes to finding the right treatment option for sexual dysfunction, whether this be for persistent impotence or premature ejaculation problems.

So, what is there for women? If Medical Specialists® Pharmacy were to quiz our thousands of patients to come up with the name of an existing female sexual dysfunction treatment, we’d be surprised if anyone could muster a reply.

In early 2014 Medical Specialists® reported how British pharmaceutical company ORLIBID were developing a drug tentatively titled ‘ORL101’, aimed at boosting a woman’s sex drive, however no further information has been released about ORL101 since then.

However, Medical Specialists® are delighted to announce that a new pill to boost a woman’s libido could be one step closer after US experts gave its endorsement. This will be fantastic news for those that have fought for women’s sex drives to get a similar medical attention to deal put into it as the male treatments.

A panel of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisers decided to vote 18-6 in favour of recommending flibanserin, a daily pill nicknamed the ‘female Viagra’ and manufactured by Sprout Pharmaceuticals, who picked up the drug back in 2011 after its initial developer, Boehringer Ingelheim, decided to drop it.

The vote came following a testimony from various women who vigorously persuaded the agency to approve the drug and told of their fear of never being able to have sex again. The final judgement of course will have to come from the FDA themselves, with a verdict on suitability for public use due later this year.

Coincidentally, flibanserin, just like the discovery of Viagra, was an unintended find. The drug was firstly developed with the intention of treating depression, but wasn’t as effective for this purpose as expected.

Many of the 11,000 women involved in the trials did note that they were experiencing some rather unexpected side effects from the flibanserin. Increased sexual interest and overall, more satisfying sexual experiences than previous, were being commonly reported.

North Carolina drug maker Sprout Pharmaceuticals, have claimed that their clinical trials have demonstrated that women have experienced a 37% rise in sexual desire in comparison to a placebo. The women reported an average of between 0.5 and one more sexually satisfying events each month, compared to those women taking a placebo. In addition, they had higher scores on questionnaires on desire and scored lower on questions about stress.

The drug – which changes brain chemistry as opposed to Viagra increasing blood flow – isn’t without a chequered history though, with the FDA twice rejecting the drug since 2010, arguing flibanserin’s benefits did not outweigh the risks, which can include low blood pressure and fainting spells.

However, Susan Scanlan, chairwoman of Even The Score, hit back and noted that Viagra can have varying side effects, arguing that the FDA hasn’t approved flibanserin because of their discomfort with women taking control over their sexuality. “The implication is that men can be trusted to make a rational decision of risk versus reward and women can’t,” she said.

The FDA has highlighted female sexual dysfunction as one of 20 priority areas of unmet medical need, and is obviously a major and genuine health problem that needs to be addressed.

Keep checking the Medical Specialists® NHS Pharmacy website for further updates about flibanserin or other female sexual dysfunction products that may become available in the future, and we already have an extension range of male impotence and premature ejaculation treatments, some of which were mentioned earlier.

‘Viagra for women’ on the horizon…and it could even help you lose weight!

Viagra for women has been a topic of great debate ever since Pfizer Viagra first became available way back in 1998, approved for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

However, that could be a reality by the end of next year as scientists conduct trials on a new wonder drug that almost sounds like it is too good to believe. Not only will be the tablet provide a boost to the woman’s sex drive, but it will apparently also help to curb their appetite and lose weight.

ORLIBID, the British company involved in developing the drug, are optimistic they will be successful in having ‘ORL101’ on shelves by the end of 2015.

An estimated four in ten women complain at some point that their sex life is larking the spark it once had and drug companies have toiled for a number of years to create a female equivalent of the hugely popular but still male-only Viagra – Pfizer’s sixth-biggest medicine, with annual sales of about $2 billion (£1.22 billion).

A strong psychological factor linked to a woman’s libido makes it difficult for pharmaceutical companies to create something effective and beneficial.

Dr Mike Wyllie, part of the team behind the development of Viagra, is of the opinion that ORLIBID could hold the key to unlocking the problem of a woman’s sex drive, and possibly succeed where others have not.

Increasing the brain to desire, ORL101 is a synthetic version of melatonin, which those with a penchant for tanning may have heard of.

Many experts have already been aware of melatonin’s ability to boost sex drive, but the task of getting it into a pill, as opposed to an injection, has proved a complex task.
The cost of ORL101 is anyone’s guess but it is assumed the drug will be comparable to Viagra’s price when it initially launched; up to £12 a tablet.

The tablet will only need to be taken 15 minutes prior to sex, providing a boost to the woman’s libido for up to an impressive 2 hours. This conclusion has been derived from studies conducted on jabs with comparable formulas, which led to better sex and a decreased appetite too.

Dr Wyllie is offering his services to ORLIBID on an advisory basis, free of charge, and will not profit from sales. He says: “It will be for everyone from those where female sexual dysfunction is destroying their relationships to those just wanting to spice up their sex life.”

Dr John Dean, a former president of the International Society for Sexual Medicine, said a drug could be ideal when no medical or psychological cause for sexual problems is found.

He added: “Low sexual desire is by no means a trivial problem. It affects lives, relationships, productivity and satisfaction.”

‘Viagra for women’ may be available in 2016

In just three years’ time, it could be that men are not the only sex who get a helping hand in the bedroom, as Dutch scientists are developing two new drugs to cure the loss of a woman’s desire, one of which is a testosterone-based therapy to heighten pleasure.

The revolutionary new drugs Lybrido and Lybridos, or ‘Female Viagra’ as they are being nicknamed, are being developed by Dutch and US firm Emotional Brain, who claim either could be on bedside cabinets across the world by 2016, being used to boost a woman’s sexual desire and increase feelings of satisfaction in the bedroom.

Currently, men hugely benefit through medicines such as Viagra, Cialis or Levitra for impotence, in addition to Priligy and Stud 100 spray for premature ejaculation. Women’s bedroom issues are often overlooked and ignored, but not for much longer!

The creators Emotional Brain were founded in 2001 primarily to pioneer innovative health care. A lot of their work is targeted at researching women’s sexual health. The twelve years following, many experts have tried to find causes for Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD) and targeted therapy to treat the problem.

Unfortunately, previous treatments have been found relatively ineffective as female libido is commonly linked to psychological issues and not merely physical factors.

Emotional Brain believes they may have created something to beat the problem through two-in-one pills that will target both the body and brain.

The pills will be sized smaller than a typical aspirin and Lybrido will be comprised of a Viagra-like drug coated in a testosterone and will have a minty taste. Both components may be weak to combat low libido separately, but the testosterone-coating that melts in the mouth followed by a delayed-release of the Viagra-type substance.

Lyrbridos however will have its Viagra-like molecule replaced buspirone; an anti-anxiety medication that increases levels of the hormone serotonin. Unlike Viagra, Lybridos targets brain areas associated with sexual desire, encouraging the brain to realign with intimacy.

U.S. trials have finished involving more than 200 women have recently been completed, and Emotional Brain founder Adriaan Tuiten states the results from both drugs are ‘very, very promising’.
Dr Tuiten was prompted to research into female emotions after having his heart broken by an ex-girlfriend whilst he was in his 20s. It is his belief that the treatments will be a massive hit especially amongst women who have been married for many years and for whom sex may have lost the appeal and become stale over time.

Dr Tuiten says up to 43% of women experience a low sex drive at some point in their lives and has alleviated fears that the new drugs wills turn women into sex-crazed nymphomaniacs, stating that the treatments will work at simply increasing low-libido to more ‘normal’ levels.

A nasal spray dubbed the ‘Female Viagra’ is being trialled

The words ‘nasal spray’ and ‘sexy’ are rarely, if ever, used together in the same sentence. However, things could change in the future if clinical trials are successful for what could be a female equivalent of the male erectile dysfunction medication Viagra.

In fact if you are one of the many frustrated women around the World who is suffering from Female Orgasmic Disorder (FOD), today could be your lucky day! Medical Specialists Pharmacy are pleased to be the bearer of good news for the estimated 5 – 10% of women who suffer from this underestimated condition, and thus never experience any type of orgasm through any kind of sexual activity. The condition is also known as ‘anorgasmia’ and is defined by the American Psychological Association’s diagnostic manual as: “Persistent or recurrent delay in, or absence of, orgasm following a normal excitement phase.”

The new female drug in development is a testosterone gel named ‘Tefina’ that gets absorbed into the body via a droplet-sized dose sprayed into the nose. Although the absorption would take merely minutes, it could then be several hours before the effects kick-in for the woman so this delay would have to be considered, and Tefina would not be ideal for any spur-of-the-moment love making.

Without even taking into account the thousands of male patients that Medical Specialists have helped with erectile dysfunction problems, Viagra is estimated to generate around a staggering $2 billion annually in the U.S. alone as the reluctance to seek help is finally being banished. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to predict that Tefina could be a huge hit too and generate lots of money.

Australian researchers based at Melbourne’s Monash University are now attempting to recruit approximately 100 female volunteers between the ages of 18 and 49 so they can begin trials of the drug.

Dr. Fiona Jane of Melbourne’s Monash University, spoke out on the need for such a treatment for women. She said: “Female sexual dysfunction is a real thing and we think up to 43 percent of women suffer some form of sexual dysfunction. A lot of people have thought that drumming up the idea of a female ‘Viagra’ is just for pharmaceutical companies. In fact, there is a huge need for women to have their sexual dysfunction addressed.”

Clinical trials are now set to begin in Australia, Canada and the U.S., supported by Trimel Biopharma, who is developing the drug. The spray would be strictly only be available on prescription but it could be another three to five years unfortunately before it becomes available in pharmacies.  In the meantime keep checking the Medical Specialists website to stay updated on this and other similar products that may become available in the near future.

Female Viagra will help women increase their sexual arousal

A female equivalent of Viagra could soon be available to help women increase their sexual arousal, scientists claim.

For years they have endeavoured to create an alternative for women that mimics the effects of the male Viagra pill.

Now, the pharmaceutical company behind the original pill has created a prototype which increases blood flow to the genitalia in a similar way to Viagra

More than half of women experience sexual dysfunction at some point in their lives.

They may suffer a lack of desire, emotional or mental health problems and physical problems that mean they avoid having sex.

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has developed a drug, so far called only UK-414,495, which is supposed to increase sexual arousal, but will not affect desire, mood or emotional problems.

Some women take Viagra with mixed results and the drug has been used in fertility treatment to increase blood flow to the pelvis and encourage an embryo to implant in the womb.

But this is the first pill that claims to be an equivalent of the male Viagra.

The research, which involved animals, is published by the British Journal of Pharmacology, though Pfizer say they won’t develop the drug and warn that the chemical may not work the same way in humans, according to the Telegraph.

Chris Wayman, the lead researcher, said: ‘Before this work, we knew surprisingly little about the processes that control all of these changes.

Now that we are beginning to establish the pathways involved in sexual arousal, scientists may be able to find ways of helping women who would like to overcome female sexual arousal disorder.

‘While the particular chemical compound in this research did not prove appropriate for further developments, the implications of the research could lead to the development of a product in the future.’

Viagra was originally developed as a treatment for high blood pressure and the heart condition angina, but men who took part in early trials realised the drug had an interesting side effect.

Clinical trials suggested the drug had little effect on angina and instead induced erections in men.

The drug first went on sale in 1998 and has since been prescribed to 25million men, creating a multi-billion pound global market.

The name Viagra has become so associated with men’s erectile dysfunction problems that many cures are marketed as ‘herbal viagra’.

It is known by many nicknames, including Vitamin V and the Blue Pill.

Please visit for further erectile dysfunction information

Source: Dailymail news paper.

Stigma hits hopes for female Viagra

Society and cultural barriers will continue to prevent women from recognising that they may suffer from female sexual dysfunction and seeking help, according to a new report.

Furthermore, the analysis, published by Datamonitor, notes that the non life-threatening nature of the disorders means that FSD “is often disregarded by the medical community”. FSD is an umbrella term that covers a variety of different dproblems from hypoactive sexual desire disorder (or low libido) and sexual arousal disorder to painful intercourse. Also there is often an overlap between disorders that can affect diagnosis and treatment.

Maya Marescotti, women’s health analyst at Datamonitor, says there is “a stigma associated with talking about sex, cultural embarrassment, and avoidance of discussion of sexual dysfunction in the clinical environment”. She adds that “these are common barriers that prevent doctors and patients from talking about sex”.

In a recent US study of 198 healthcare providers, only 34% of physicians would discuss sexual health with their patients on their own initiative. An earlier study across the pond showed that 75% of women would rather not discuss the subject as they thought the doctor would not be interested.

There is only one FSD drug available in the UK, where over 10 million women are thought to suffer from sexual dysfunction in their lifetime. That is Procter & Gamble’s Intrinsa, a testosterone skin patch which is given to women who have had their uterus and/or ovaries removed. New therapies are on the way, however, some of which target the psychological aspect of FSD, including Boehringer Ingelheim’s flibanserin, an oral pill originally developed as an antidepressant.

However, Ms Marescotti notes that “those hoping for a ‘female Viagra’ will be disappointed. In contrast to erectile dysfunction, she adds that “the complicated nature of FSD means that a quick fix in the form of an effective pill is very hard to achieve”

Viagra for women

Viagra is the most famous prescription only drug for erectile dysfunction in men. The term "Female Viagra" has been around for some time although there was nothing as such available for use in women. It has now been reported by the BBC that a drug that failed tests as an antidepressant is being hailed as "Viagra for women" after surprising but not unpleasant side effects.

The drug surprisingly increased women's sex drive in three separate trials. The accidental discovery of this drug is similar to Viagra's discovery ten years ago. Viagra was originally designed as a heart medicine.