Boehringer Ingelheim, the drugs company researching the potential of the new medication flibanserin, are currently recruiting women suffering from hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) to take part in clinical trials into the drug in the US.
Touted as ‘female viagra’ the pill in previous trials was shown to increase the number of positive sexual events experienced by women suffering from HSDD. Originally developed as an anti-depressant, the drug performed badly in clinical trials but there were reports that women were experiencing increased libido, with some women even proving unwilling to give the medication back.
Women who took part in the trials reported that after taking a daily 100mg dose of flibanserin, they had more sexually satisfying events, compared with those taking the placebo. Prior to the trial they reported experiencing 2.8 positive sexual events per month, which rose to 4.5 times a month while taking the medication. Women on the placebo enjoyed 1.7 more positive sexual events than before.
The previous trial in Europe involved 2,000 women aged over 18 with sexual problems but it is unclear how many will be involved in the upcoming trial.