INGELHEIM, Germany—The launch of the first non-hormonal treatment for women with decreased sex drive could soon become a reality after successful late-stage trials of a pill developed by Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim that increases female sex drive.
“Data from pooled, pivotal Phase III clinical trials demonstrate that flibanserin 100mg taken once daily at bedtime significantly increased the number of Satisfying Sexual Events (SSEs) and sexual desire while significantly decreasing the distress associated with Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD),” the company said, in a press release issued Monday. “Flibanserin is an investigational compound that is being developed by Boehringer Ingelheim for the treatment of pre-menopausal women with HSDD.”
HSDD is a medical condition characterized by a decrease in sexual desire associated with marked distress and/or interpersonal difficulties. Women with HSDD often feel a loss of intimacy and closeness that they used to enjoy. The four Phase III studies involved more than 2,000 pre-menopausal women suffering from HSDD. Results were presented at the congress of the European Society for Sexual Medicine in Lyon, France.
According to Reuters, “Unlike Procter & Gamble's hormone patch Intrinsa, targeted at woman after the menopause, flibanserin directly manipulates the chain of chemical reactions in the brain believed to trigger sexual desire.”
More information about the company, the drug and the studies can be found on the company website.
