A pill to treat low sexual desire in women was rejected by U.S. regulators, a decision that has been appealed by the drug’s maker in a bid to make it the first product for the disorder.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration based its decision to turn down the medicine on what the agency called a modest effect, closely held Sprout Pharmaceuticals Inc. said today in a statement. Sprout, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, is seeking approval of the therapy, known as flibanserin, as an option for women whose low libido causes stress in their lives.
In clinical trials, Sprout’s pill almost doubled the increase women saw in satisfying sexual experiences over a month’s time compared with patients who took a placebo, the company said. The agency’s decision contrasts with its review of drugs to treat male sexual dysfunction, Cindy Whitehead, president and chief operating officer at Sprout, said in an interview. The agency on Dec. 6 issued its 24th approval of a treatment for male sexual dysfunction, an injection called Xiaflex to treat a condition that causes a curved penis.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration based its decision to turn down the medicine on what the agency called a modest effect, closely held Sprout Pharmaceuticals Inc. said today in a statement. Sprout, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, is seeking approval of the therapy, known as flibanserin, as an option for women whose low libido causes stress in their lives.
In clinical trials, Sprout’s pill almost doubled the increase women saw in satisfying sexual experiences over a month’s time compared with patients who took a placebo, the company said. The agency’s decision contrasts with its review of drugs to treat male sexual dysfunction, Cindy Whitehead, president and chief operating officer at Sprout, said in an interview. The agency on Dec. 6 issued its 24th approval of a treatment for male sexual dysfunction, an injection called Xiaflex to treat a condition that causes a curved penis.