'Female Viagra' Closer to Becoming a Reality in the US

A drug to stimulate sex drive for women might soon be available to the U.S. public, after a panel recommended it be approved Thursday.

Ff approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Flibanserin, which has been dubbed ‘female viagra,’ would be the first drug to enhance female libido.

The federal agency has been accused of gender bias after rejecting the drug twice before. However the FDA claims its rejection is based on concerns about flibanserin’s negative side effects, saying there might be risk of fainting, accidental injury and low blood pressure.

Proud to be a part of this landmark day for women everywhere!! FDA panel recommendation of #flibanserin = #HERstory in the making!

— Susan Kellogg Spadt (@Doctor_Kellogg) June 4, 2015

Viagra however, which has been on sale since 1998, can also have negative side effects like chest pains, vision impairments, nausea, and risk of fainting. The difference between the two drugs is that flibanserin is a daily pill that influences the brain and takes several weeks to work, while Viagra affects blood flow to the genitals within the hour of ingestion.

“We have a tendency to want to swallow a pill and be done with it. But unlike an erection, sexual desire is a mysterious, many-layered thing,” writes Rachel E. Gross in Slate, criticizing the female libido enhancer. “Is it really a good idea to medicate it with a pill whose effects you can’t even explain chemically?“

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The FDA panel’s recommendation comes after a lobbying campaign by a coalition including the National Council of Women’s Organizations, the American Sexual Health Association and drug manufacturer Sprout Pharmaceuticals.

“We firmly believe that equitable access to health care should be a fundamental right, regardless of whether you’re a man or a woman,” the coalition stated in a letter last year.

#HERstory http://t.co/5xQgMxP7DZ pic.twitter.com/rPWhC28fYv

— Even The Score (@Eventhescore) May 22, 2015

Panelists recommended the approval of the drug Thursday, but only if it includes a risk management program.

News on the possible release of the ‘female viagra’ has stirred much public debate, with many split on the need and effectiveness of the drug.

“I don’t see what the fuss is about, aside from the fact that it gives a bit of power back to women in making sexually satisfying choices,” wrote Karyn Polewaczyk in Jezebel. “Just as not all women take, say, can or will take birth control pills for various reasons, not all women with low libido will take something like flibanserin. So why not provide the option for those who want to pursue it?”