Will We Ever Have Viagra for Women?
The article examines the controversial approval and limited success of Addyi, a drug marketed as a 'female Viagra,' and explores whether its failure stems from sexism in the medical industry or the drug's own shortcomings. A new documentary, The Pink Pill, frames Addyi's journey as a feminist struggle against biased regulators, but critics argue its approval was driven more by lobbying than scientific merit. While the drug aimed to address women's sexual health, it has been criticized for weak efficacy and safety concerns.
- ▪Addyi, known as the 'pink pill,' was approved by the FDA in 2015 as a treatment for low sexual desire in women.
- ▪The documentary The Pink Pill attributes Addyi's commercial failure to sexism in the medical and regulatory systems.
- ▪Cindy Eckert, co-founder of Sprout Pharmaceuticals, led a public campaign to gain FDA approval for Addyi.
- ▪Addyi has been criticized for its limited effectiveness and potential side effects, including dizziness and low blood pressure.
- ▪The approval process for Addyi raised concerns about the influence of lobbying on scientific regulatory decisions.
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Will We Ever Have Viagra for Women?You’ve heard of Viagra and its many spin-offs. So why have you never heard of Addyi? (Illustration by The Free Press)A new documentary argues that the sexism of the medical industry explains the pink pill’s failure to launch. That’s not strictly true.By Jennifer Block05.03.26 — Health and Self-ImprovementNo description available.FOLLOW TOPIC --:----:--Upgrade to Listen5 minsProduced by ElevenLabs using AI narrationWill we ever have a pink Viagra? NASA has sent a woman around the moon, yet we still don’t have a reliable pharmaceutical to send us over the proverbial moon, at least nothing like the launchpad men have.I’ve been covering women’s sexual health for 20-plus years, almost as long as pharma has been trying to create such a drug—one that triggers…
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