Could female Viagra get the go ahead in NZ?

Should woman take drugs to boost libido, or are the risks too great? Photo / iStock

While a new prescription drug designed to boost sexual desire in women has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, it is uncertain if the medication will become available in New Zealand just yet.

Flibanserin, called Addyi in the US, is being lauded as a milestone for the pharmaceutical industry which has long sought to replicate the success of its male counterpart, Viagra. However, in order to be effective, Addyi must be taken every day for an extended period of time.

In the US, the drug will be issued with a serious warning label, to alert doctors and patients that the pill could cause dangerously low blood pressure if combined with alcohol. The risk also exists when taken alongside commonly prescribed medications, including antifungals used to treat yeast infections.

Annemarie Jutel, an associate professor at Victoria University's Graduate School of Nursing Midwifery and Health, said the drug should not be made available in New Zealand.

"Flibanserin has shown very little real effectiveness for a problem that can usually be solved without pills. And, flibanserin has a very problematic safety profile as well," she told the Science Media Centre.

"But, maybe even worse than unsafe pills that don't work very well is the high-profile marketing work that the pharmaceutical industry is doing to convince women that low sexual urge is a disease.

"Making normal sexuality into a medical problem is an easy PR task with enduring serious consequences for the health of NZ women."

However, Dr Helen Conaglen, a senior research fellow and senior lecturer at The University of Auckland's Waikato Clinical School said the problem of low sexual desire in women was a "multi-faceted issue, with no single solution".

"The drug is just one tool and will not suit everyone. Nor will it have the same impact for women as Viagra did for men, because it has so much less efficacy."

Women would still need therapy to address low sexual desire, she said.

"That therapy needs to assist them and their partner with communication, relationship issues, sexual education, and understanding of their own sexuality needs.

"If it were to be available in New Zealand I have no doubt some women would seek to use it and see if it helps them."

A spokesperson for Pharmac said it had not received a funding application for the drug and would prefer that it was first approved for use in New Zealand by Medsafe.

When deciding which medicines to fund, Pharmac must balance the needs of patients with the cost to the taxpayer. Decisions must represent "good value for money for the benefit of all New Zealanders".

Medsafe has yet to respond to the Herald about whether it has received an application for the use of Addyi in New Zealand.

- nzherald.co.nz