--- title: Will "Women's Viagra" Get Approval This Time? description: Will the "Women's Viagra" drug, flibanserin get FDA approval or will it join other failed attempts? canonical: https://time.com/3903222/women-viagra-fda-drug/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-01T20:12:26.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T07:47:11.620Z article:section: Health og:title: Will "Women's Viagra" Get Approval This Time? og:description: Will the "Women's Viagra" drug, flibanserin get FDA approval or will it join other failed attempts? og:url: https://time.com/3903222/women-viagra-fda-drug/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt869816c570788ac0/6988526bf887dcc4a6e90b5e/flibanserin.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: A tablet of flibanserin sits on a brochure for Sprout Pharmaceuticals in the company's Raleigh, N.C., headquarters. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Will "Women's Viagra" Get Approval This Time? twitter:description: Will the "Women's Viagra" drug, flibanserin get FDA approval or will it join other failed attempts? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt869816c570788ac0/6988526bf887dcc4a6e90b5e/flibanserin.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Will the New 'Women's Viagra' Finally Get FDA Approval? > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jun 1, 2015 8:12 PM UTC  A tablet of flibanserin sits on a brochure for Sprout Pharmaceuticals in the company's Raleigh, N.C., headquarters. A tablet of flibanserin sits on a brochure for Sprout Pharmaceuticals in the company's Raleigh, N.C., headquarters. Allen Breed—AP by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jun 1, 2015 8:12 PM UTC On Thursday, a drug for female sex drive called flibanserin will once again be considered by [the FDA](http://time.com/3903112/womens-viagra-flibanserin-hypoactive-sexual-desire-disorder/) for approval. It’s already been rejected twice by the agency, which has cited a lack of proof for its effectiveness as well as side effects like sleepiness and nausea. This time around it could get the stamp of approval, or it could fall in with several other failed attempts at a drug for women’s sexual desire. Sprout Pharmaceuticals, which owns flibanserin, is not the first to put time and resources into a drug to enhance women’s desire for sex. Pfizer, for instance, had been trying to invent a successful Viagra for women more than 15 years ago, and in 2004, they gave up, saying sexual desire for men and women are very different, and that for women, arousal and desire are not necessarily always related. That same year, the FDA rejected a testosterone patch for women citing concern over its long-term safety. In the intervening decade, many other [attempts](http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2011/12/14/placebo-is-the-real-female-viagra/) have been made to develop a little pill as effective—and popular—with women as Viagra is with men. Why some women have low sexual desire is still the subject of some debate. A lack of desire can, some experts say, signal non-biological issues like stress or trouble in the relationship. But many experts believe that’s not the full picture and there’s a biological basis for libido. “I think it would be nice if a drug like this could work, having better sex is important to my patients,” says Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive services at Yale School of Medicine. “The earlier results showed it definitely increased desire, but the benefit was not overwhelming enough.” **MORE:** [‘Women’s Viagra’ to Seek FDA Approval, Again](http://time.com/3903112/womens-viagra-flibanserin-hypoactive-sexual-desire-disorder/) Sprout’s flibanserin is intended to treat pre-menopausal women with Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) and works by targeting neurotransmitters in the brain involved with sexual arousal and desire. The drug is thought to temporarily lower levels of serotonin and increase levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. The company says its clinical trials have shown that when placebo is accounted for, women experience a 37% increase in sexual desire. Those who don’t support the drug’s approval say it doesn’t have enough evidence to back it up. The drug is intended to be used daily, which some in the medical community [say](https://nwhn.org/sites/default/files/Flibanserin%20follow%20up%20letter%20to%20FDA%5FFinal.pdf) raises concerns over its long-term safety. And some experts argue that flibanserin may not be the blockbuster drug it’s being made out to be. “This one is not a fabulous drug, but it would be nice to have it. It’s for someone else to decide if nausea is worth more libido,” says Minkin. Whether the tide changes for flibanserin this week is yet to be seen, but it underlines the ongoing debate over just how complicated sexuality can be. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3903222/women-viagra-fda-drug/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3903222/women-viagra-fda-drug/"},"headline":"Will the New 'Women's Viagra' Finally Get FDA Approval?","datePublished":"2015-06-01T20:12:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T07:47:11.620Z","description":"The drug could be a first for women's sexual desire, or it could join other failed attempts","url":"https://time.com/3903222/women-viagra-fda-drug/","keywords":["Sex/Relationships","Sex","FDA","Viagra"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt869816c570788ac0/6988526bf887dcc4a6e90b5e/flibanserin.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt869816c570788ac0/6988526bf887dcc4a6e90b5e/flibanserin.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A tablet of flibanserin sits on a brochure for Sprout Pharmaceuticals in the company's Raleigh, N.C., headquarters.","caption":"A tablet of flibanserin sits on a brochure for Sprout Pharmaceuticals in the company's Raleigh, N.C., headquarters.","creditText":"Allen Breed—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/sexrelationships/","name":"Sex/Relationships"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3903222/women-viagra-fda-drug/","name":"Will the New 'Women's Viagra' Finally Get FDA Approval?"}}]}] ```