“Female Viagra” has been a flop

The little pink pill
The little pink pill
Image: Sprout Pharmaceuticals
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The female libido drug, dubbed “female Viagra” has not been as successful as hoped since it was released last October.

The market for female libido drugs was estimated to be worth more than $2 billion, and it’s believed that between 5 million and 9 million women in the US experience desire disorders, according to AP.

But The New York Times reports that doctors have prescribed the treatment, designed to treat low sex drive in women, fewer than 4,000 times since February.

Flibanserin, which was released under the brand name Addyi, is far from a quick fix for low sex drive among women. Its effects are fairly modest, the drug has to be taken every day, and it cannot be combined with alcohol. Due to these restrictions, some argued that the market size for Addyi could be limited.

But sales results are still a major disappointment compared to expectations, and the New York Times story spotlights management errors after the pharmaceutical company behind Addyi, Sprout, was bought by Valeant Pharmaceuticals International days after the drug got FDA approval.

Update: Laurie Little, senior vice president of investor relations at Valeant, said the company believes that further education about female desire disorders would lead to higher sales, and added that they’re working to ensure wide access to Addyi. “We continue to believe this product has strong potential and are committed to realizing that potential,” she added in a statement.