The New ‘Female Viagra’ Has Reignited a Debate Over Drugs and Female Sexuality

On June 21, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Vyleesi, a libido drug being hailed as the new “female Viagra.” On its surface, the move seems like a win for women’s sexual health—but it has reignited a debate over the role drugs should play in complicated issues like desire. Vyleesi, which is made by AMAG Pharmaceuticals and known scientifically as bremelanotide, is the second drug approved by the FDA to treat hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), a condition that involves low sexual desire, and resulting distress or interpersonal issues, in premenopausal women. The first such medication, Addyi (flibanserin), was approved in 2015, but has so far proved disappointing in both sales and results; the FDA has continued to warn patients about safety concerns associated with the drug, thought it did relax some labeling restrictions this year. Whereas Addyi is an oral medication that must be taken daily, Vyleesi is an injection that women self-administer to their thigh or abdomen at least 45 minutes before sexual activity. But like Addyi before it, Vyleesi’s approval has caused some experts to argue that female desire has been over-medicalized, and that drugs aren’t the best way to boost it at all. “Desire is a complex issue that, as the science has shown, is not something that is an easy fix,” says Dr. Anne Katz, a Canada-based sexuality counselor who has written about drugs and female desire. “Addyi is a f...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Drugs Source Type: news