An early step -- an early one -- toward developing a female Viagra

The female Viagra pill called Lady Era contains sildenafil citrate, the active ingredient found in male Viagra. Lady Era is thought to increase blood flow to a woman's genitals, with the aim of improving sexual arousal.

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Despite some breathless news reports that a female Viagra may be just around the corner, it seems there’s a lot more research to be done before that happens. The co-op bookstore for avid readers Female Viagra is often a term used to refer to medicines or products that treat sexual problems in women. There are currently two products that have been referred to as the female Viagra, called Flibanserin (Addyi) and Lady Era. Both are associated with treating FSD but they work in very different ways. However, neither have been sufficiently proven and they are not available to buy in the UK. There is also a very different treatment available in the US, called Flibanserin (brand name Addyi).

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Flibanserin is thought to work by increasing dopamine (feel good hormone), with the aim of boosting sexual desire GET YOUR COPY NOW IN ONE CLICK Dimensions: 8.00in - 5.00in - 0.06in - 0.08lb For many women, sexual desire goes up and down over the years, often tied to changes in relationships, stress, and physical changes like pregnancy and menopause.

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You can read about their findings, published in the British Journal of Pharmacology, in a news release titled ‘Towards Treating Female Sexual Dysfunction: Research Reveals Secrets of Female Sexual Arousal.’ Or if you need calming down after all this sizzly sex talk, check out the research paper ‘UK-414,495, a selective inhibitor of neutralendopeptidase, potentiates pelvic nerve-stimulated increases in female genital blood flow in the anaesthetized rabbit.’ The last animal in the world needing help in the breeding department, but that’s biomedical research for you. The crux of what the scientists found seems to be this: A drug called UK-414,495 enhanced blood flow to the vagina and clitoris when the pelvic nerve of the rabbit was stimulated. (Yes, it appears that rabbits have clitorises.) This seems to work because the drug blocks the destruction of a key nerve chemical, VIP, that helps dilate blood vessels. So it hangs around for longer to do its job. The scientists say that the research is still in its very dapoxetine viagra early stages. But roughly 10% of women deal with a low sex drive that causes them distress.

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It’s a condition known as hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD).

• There is no true over-the-counter "female Viagra" available in UK pharmacies.
• Viagra (sildenafil) is licensed for men and is not approved for female sexual dysfunction.
• Some online sources may illegally sell prescription-only medications without consultation.
• Herbal libido supplements are available OTC but are not proven to be effective.
• Lubricants and moisturizers are widely available OTC without a prescription.
• Buying prescription medicine without a prescription is illegal and potentially dangerous.
• Always obtain medications through a legitimate consultation with a qualified prescriber.

There are a few over-the-counter supplements that aim to treat the problem, which have limited, mostly unproven, effects.

HOW IT WORKS

It is similar to a class of other drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRI's, that include antidepressants such as Prozac. But those antidepressants, which raise levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, are known to blunt libido. Addyi blocks certain cellular receptors from responding to serotonin. Women who took Addyi in a clinical study had an increase of about one sexually satisfying event per month compared with those taking a placebo. Critics say the small benefit is outweighed by the drug’s risks.

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Addyi will come with a prominent "boxed warning" about side effects, including among people with liver impairment or who take Addyi with alcohol or with medicines known as CYP3A4 inhibitors that include certain steroids. Originally developed by Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim under its chemical name flibanserin, it was first rejected by the FDA in 2010 after an advisory panel said the benefits did not outweigh the risks. Sprout acquired the drug, conducted additional studies and resubmitted the application. In 2013, the FDA rejected it again. The rejection sparked a lobbying campaign by Sprout, aided by some women's groups who accused the FDA of gender bias because it had approved Viagra for men - a charge the FDA vigorously rejected. But in recent years, the FDA has approved two prescription drugs to treat HSDD.

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The FDA approved Addyi despite a rocky relationship in recent years with the founders of Sprout. The chief executive of Sprout, Cindy Whitehead, co-founded the company with her husband Robert Whitehead in 2011 after selling another small drugmaker they had founded called Slate Pharmaceuticals which had received repeated warnings from the FDA about its marketing tactics. Slate marketed an implantable testosterone pellet for men with low levels of the male sexual hormone, called Testopel. In one FDA warning letter, issued on March 24, 2010, the FDA said Slate had improperly inferred on its Testopel website and in a video that the testosterone product could help patients with depression, erectile dysfunction, diabetes and HIV. The Whiteheads could not be reached for comment late on Tuesday about Addyi's approval and their earlier encounters with the FDA.

A note about sex and gender

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. Back when Viagra was first marketed, some sexual health experts suggested that it might work in women as well as men, providing a pharmacological aid for women with low levels of arousal (sometimes termed ‘female sexual dysfunction’ or ‘female sexual arousal disorder’). But it hasn’t worked that well in women -- suggesting there’s something about arousal in male versus female parts that differs physiologically. (It does help some women: A 2008 study, for example, showed women on antidepressants who had sagging libidos were helped some by the little blue pill.) Now scientists at Pfizer -- the company that discovered Viagra’s sexual effects by chance while searching for a treatment for high blood pressure and angina -- say they’ve taken an important step in finding such a drug. These treatments are often referred to as “female Viagra” -- a nod to one of the medicines that men can take for sexual problems.

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Drug companies worked on treatments including the use of Viagra in women. October 2010 The FDA rejects Boehringer Ingelheim’s flibanserin for female sexual disorder, saying there is little evidence it increases libido and citing unacceptable side-effects. August 2015 FDA approves flibanserin, given the brand name Addyi by Sprout, but with a black box warning of side-effects. WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The first drug to treat low sexual desire in women won approval from U.S. health regulators on Tuesday, but with a warning about potentially dangerous low blood pressure and fainting side effects, especially when taken with alcohol.

CONVENIENT & DISCREET

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the pink pill, to be sold under the brand name Addyi and made by privately held Sprout Pharmaceuticals, will only be available through certified and specially trained health care professionals and pharmacies due to its safety issues. Addyi, whose chemical name is flibanserin, is designed for premenopausal women whose lack of sexual desire causes distress. The condition is formally known as hypoactive sexual desire disorder, or HSDD. The drug needs to be taken daily. But they’re not much like Viagra at all.

MEET OUR LOW LIBIDO TREATMENT

But two things have them encouraged: The enhanced dilation of blood vessels didn’t happen all over the body (you wouldn’t want that--you want the effect to be somewhat specific) and it only happened when the pelvic nerve was stimulated. Anyway, Pfizer says this particular drug isn’t suitable for development, but the finding may pave the way for other drugs that might be more useful. One reason Viagra has only mixed results in women may be that nitric oxide, the chemical that’s affected by Viagra and that is centrally involved in male erections, isn’t as major a player as VIP in vaginal engorgement. The scientists also do note that ‘the translation of results obtained in the rabbit to humans is currently unknown, especially when one considers that the link between blood flow and subjective arousal remains controversial.’ They add that there are some studies suggesting some women with arousal disorders are helped by enhanced blood flow to the genitals, however. But -- here’s another but -- in the case of the most-studied drug, Viagra, ‘normal sexual desire appears to be critical’ for it to work. In fact, they work very differently inside the body.

• The first FDA-approved female libido drug was flibanserin, marketed as Addyi in the US and sometimes available in the UK.
• Female Viagra aims to target conditions like low libido, which can be caused by hormonal or psychological issues.
• The effectiveness of female Viagra varies between individuals; some report notable improvements.
• Cost of female libido medications in the UK varies and may not be covered by NHS prescriptions.
• Researchers continue to explore new treatments for female sexual dysfunction with promising results.
• Natural alternatives include herbal supplements like ginseng or maca, but their efficacy is not well-proven.
• Discussing sexual health openly with a healthcare professional is recommended before starting treatment.
• Some women use off-label medications or supplements to boost libido, but safety isn't always assured.
• Female Viagra is not suitable for everyone; medical history and other medications should be considered.

“In men, Viagra fixes a ‘plumbing problem,’ if you will,” says Judith Volkar, MD, of the UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh.

THE BIG “O” (OVERVIEW)

Addyi has been nicknamed the "female Viagra" even though it does not work like Pfizer Inc's blockbuster Viagra pill for men that in 1998 became the first approved drug for erectile dysfunction. "This is the biggest breakthrough in women's sexual health since the advent of 'the Pill'" for contraception, The National Consumers League said in a statement. "It validates (and) legitimizes female sexuality as an important component of health." But Public Citizen, a consumer watchdog group that testified against the drug earlier this year, predicted that Addyi will be pulled from the market within a few years because of "serious dangers to women, with little benefit" to them. "Unfortunately, we haven't heard the last of this drug." The FDA had twice rejected the Raleigh, North Carolina-based firm's drug. But the latest decision comes after an advisory panel concluded in June it should be approved with strict measures in place to ensure patients are fully aware of the risks.

Effects on sexual dysfunction

Sprout officials could not immediately be reached for comment. The news sent shares of Palatin Technologies, which is creating a rival drug for HSDD, up about 30 percent to $1.21 in extended trade. Palatin's experimental treatment called bremelanotide is now in late-stage trials and works differently from Addyi. It attempts to activate certain 50mg viagra brain pathways. Palatin in a statement late Tuesday said its drug, if approved, would only be taken as needed, not on a daily basis like Addyi, thereby providing women "greater control and flexibility in their treatment." Unlike Viagra, which affects blood flow to the genitals, Addyi is meant to activate sexual impulses in the brain.