The pink pill may be on the market soon but not everyone thinks its safe

An FDA advisory committee voted 18-6 to recommend that the FDA approve the drug Flibanserin for the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women.

The panel’s recommendation will be given to the FDA, which will decide whether to approve the drug, known by some as “female Viagra”.

A member of the FDA panel, Dr. Walid Gellad, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, was supportive of Flibanserin. Gellad, said “there are many women that suffer and there are many women for whom the drug will work and there are many women for whom the drug will not work. The benefits are modest … maybe less than modest, but I think that puts it in good company with other approved drugs.”

Executive Director of National Women’s Health Network, Cindy Pearson, does not support the approval of the drug. In an essay written in The Washington Times, Pearson says that, “I’m a pro-sex feminist, but I believe that advocating for women’s health means finding solutions for women’s sexual problems that are safe and effective. That hasn’t happened. Not yet. Several drug makers wanting to break into this potential blockbuster market have tried to prove that their products work and are safe. So far, they’ve failed.”

-Abesi Manyando(@abesipr)