Female Sexual Dysfunction
Drugs designed to help women boost their sex drive have a huge potential market. Some medical surveys claim that about 40 per cent of women suffer from what specialists call female sexual dysfunction (FSD), defined as a lack of sexual fantasies or desire for sex.
Intrinsa, made by Procter & Gamble, is the first of about 20 female sex drugs under development to reach the market and could become a big seller, just as Viagra has been for male erectile dysfunction.
It will initially only be available on prescription for women who have had an early menopause because of surgery. Like its male counterpart, however, there is concern that Intrinsa will later become a "lifestyle" drug bought over the counter or internet, and used by women who simply want to increase their sex drive.
Intrinsa works by releasing a low dose of the male hormone testosterone through a patch on the skin into the blood stream. Testosterone, a hormone associated with sex drive in both men and women, already has a track record in helping boost the desire for sex.
The clear patch is about the size of an egg and worn on the abdomen or bottom, and is changed twice weekly. Trials show that women who use the patch report an increased sex drive.
Side effects, normally associated with testosterone, such as unwanted facial hair and acne, have been mild enough that the participants didn't quit the studies because of them.
While Intrinsa was granted a license from the European Medicines Agency in July 2006, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), rejected the drug in December 2004. Although there were no known safety problems, nonetheless the FDA advisory panel said that more long term tests were needed to find out what the long term side effects might be.
Unlike male erectile dysfunction, which is 90% physically determined, FSD is more complex with some campaigners arguing that the pharmaceutical industry has invented the syndrome so they can provide a chemical fix for problems that may have psychological, emotional or social origins.
FSD is one of the conditions that have been condemned as 'disease mongering' - re-classifying some sorts of behaviour as a medical problem for the sake of selling drugs to treat it.
Although there is considerable evidence that testosterone can affect sexual desire, especially after menopause, many health professionals argue that female sexual desire is not just about hormones. Simply taking a pill won't cure unsatisfactory emotional connections or poor communication.
Buy the book Male and Female Sexual Dysfunction
Find out more about FSD from the Sexual Dysfunction Association.
Read articles in the British Medical Journal, "The marketing of a disease: female sexual dysfunction", and in the US from the Public Library of Science's, PloS Medicine "Female Sexual Dysfunction - A Case Study of Disease Mongering and Activist Resistance", that have alternative views about FSD.
