The first U.S. treatment for low sexual desire in women, dubbed "female Viagra," is more likely to help build a market for better future rival drugs than achieve the sales seen for Pfizer Inc's famous little blue pill for men, industry experts said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration late on Tuesday approved the drug, called Addyi, for pre-menopausal women. The agency had previously rejected the treatment twice over concerns it did not provide a significant enough benefit to outweigh its risks, but came under pressure from advocacy groups who argued that women were unfairly denied access to the therapy.
When Addyi is introduced in mid-October by privately held Sprout Pharmaceuticals, it will carry strong warnings that it can cause severely low blood pressure and fainting, especially when used with alcohol, and pose serious risk to those with liver impairment or who take a class of drugs that include some steroids. It must be taken daily.