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Cheer up, girls – antidepressant pill could be a female Viagra
Brendan Montague
TRIALS have begun on a sex drug that works directly on the pleasure zones of a woman’s brain to restore flagging libido.
If successful, flibanserin — developed by the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim — could become the “female Viagra”.
Its effect was discovered by accident when it was being tested as an anti-depressant. Participants in the trials reported that their depression was no better but that they had experienced a boost in sexual desire.
The company is conducting four trials on 5,000 women in 220 locations and hopes for approval from the US Food and Drug Administration in 2009.
The company is not yet sure exactly how flibanserin works, but Dr Charles de Wet, Boehringer Ingelheim’s medical director for the UK, said: “As many as two out of every 10 women describe some degree of decreased sexual desire. Female sexual dysfunction is not just related to blood flow, but also affected by stimulation of certain brain areas dealing with sexual stimuli.”
He added: “The aim of flibanserin is to return women’s sexual desire to a normal state — no excessive sexual effects have been reported from the treatment in any clinical trial.”
Flibanserin pills stimulate parts of the brain associated with emotions and pleasure, including a circuit that appears to control desire and sexual arousal.
Brendan Montague
TRIALS have begun on a sex drug that works directly on the pleasure zones of a woman’s brain to restore flagging libido.
If successful, flibanserin — developed by the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim — could become the “female Viagra”.
Its effect was discovered by accident when it was being tested as an anti-depressant. Participants in the trials reported that their depression was no better but that they had experienced a boost in sexual desire.
The company is conducting four trials on 5,000 women in 220 locations and hopes for approval from the US Food and Drug Administration in 2009.
The company is not yet sure exactly how flibanserin works, but Dr Charles de Wet, Boehringer Ingelheim’s medical director for the UK, said: “As many as two out of every 10 women describe some degree of decreased sexual desire. Female sexual dysfunction is not just related to blood flow, but also affected by stimulation of certain brain areas dealing with sexual stimuli.”
He added: “The aim of flibanserin is to return women’s sexual desire to a normal state — no excessive sexual effects have been reported from the treatment in any clinical trial.”
Flibanserin pills stimulate parts of the brain associated with emotions and pleasure, including a circuit that appears to control desire and sexual arousal.
