The Food and Drug Administration granted approval Tuesday to the first pill designed to increase sexual desire in women.
The drug flibanserin will require a prescription and a diagnosis of chronic lack of libido, said Sprout Pharmaceuticals, which says it will market the pink pill — a deliberate contrast to the “blue pill” viagra — under the brand name Addyi.
The company will reportedly make the pill available in mid-October but doesn’t plan a huge publicity blitz and direct-to-consumer marketing, in part to avoid creating on run on the short supply as production ramps up.
The approval created controversy as the FDA had twice before turned down the drug because of serious potential side effects and limited effectiveness. Many feminists had criticized this reluctance to approve a female libido poll as sexism, noting that it had been more than a decade since “Viagra” had become a ubiquitous brand name.
According to the Associated Press, safety restrictions on Addyi will include strong warnings about the dangers of mixing the drug with alcohol and with many other drugs, particularly ones used by women to treat yeast infections.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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