Flibanserin could soon be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — labeled as "female Viagra" — the pioneer drug to treat a loss in sexual desire among females.
On Tuesday, FDA made an important decision to pass or fail Flibanserin.
The pill, which was supposed to cure hypoactive sexual desire illness, has already been refused twice. Medical experts who protest its approval argued that the results of the drug has not been encouraging, and that Flibanserin has unwanted side effects like sleepiness and dizziness.
However, according to Time, campaign groups and a lot of individuals who support the drug have taken a very civil and loud position this past year, debating that it's sexist that women has not been provided a pill which could treat a loss of sexual desire. An advisory panel to the FDA in June advocated the approval of the drug to the agency.
The medical community was curiously split on whether Flibanserin should be allowed or not. Below were some of the reviews from medical experts and their thoughts if the drug should be passed on Tuesday.
"Flibanserin is a game changer for women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder. I see it as one of the top health innovations for the coming year."
— Dr. Holly Thacker, women's health specialist at Cleveland Clinic.
"I am very opposed to the drug and have been since it first went to the FDA in 2010 and it was rejected. Then it was rejected a second time. The drug hasn't changed, the data hasn't changed, and my opinion hasn't changed. I think it's a disaster. It's unsafe and it doesn't work. That is all a drug is supposed to do. Work and be safe. The third strike is the illegitimate means by which the company [Sprout Pharmaceuticals] tried to distract the FDA by honing in on this completely erroneous accusation of sexism. The campaign is totally inappropriate."
— Leonore Tiefer, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine.
"Women who have been treated for cancer often experience a loss of sexual desire as an unwelcome and surprising long-term side effect. Many survivors will greet flibanserin with enthusiasm and high hopes. But we need rigorous, independent research to separate the hype from the benefit and to ensure that we can recommend this drug with confidence."
-Andrea Bradford, assistant professor of gynecologic oncology and reproductive medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
"This one is not a fabulous drug, but it would be nice to have it. It's for someone else to decide if nausea is worth more libido,"
— Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive services at Yale School of Medicine
"To approve this drug will set the worst kind of precedent - that companies that spend enough money can force the F.D.A. to approve useless or dangerous drugs."
— Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman of Georgetown University told the FDA committee in June.
Meanwhile, The Telegraph reported that comparing Flibanserin to Viagra was misleading because of the fact that the little blue pill has a fathomable reaction on the body's hydraulics, while the "female Viagra, has an effect on the brain chemistry. Not a surprise fact, as it was primarily created as an anti-depressant. Some of the female subjects of the conducted clinical trials reported that there was a minimal increase in "sexually satisfying events." In simple terms, any form of sexual act considered gratifying by the participant, regardless of whether they achieved orgasm or not."
Relatively, according to USA Today, Adriane Fugh-Berman, questioned if the women included in the Flibanserin studies were undergoing an actual medical problem or simply the decline of libido that occurs commonly as women age and survive the fatigue caused by motherhood, work and other demands. Some of the women's concern could possibly be a mismatch between their libido and that of a partners' interested in enjoying more sex.
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