Reuters
WASHINGTON: The first drug to treat low sexual desire in women has won approval from US health regulators, but with a warning about potentially dangerous low blood pressure and fainting side effects, especially when taken with alcohol.
The US Food and Drug Administration said the pink pill, to be sold under the brand name Addyi, would only be available through certified and specially trained health- care professionals and pharmacies due to its safety issues.
Addyi is designed for premenopausal women whose lack of sexual desire causes distress.
“This is the biggest breakthrough in women’s sexual health since the advent of ‘the Pill’ for contraception,” the National Consumers League said.
But Public Citizen, a consumer watchdog group that testified against the drug earlier this year, predicted that Addyi would be pulled from the market within a few years because of “serious dangers with little benefit”.