With every new drug trial for a medication to treat Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD), the papers love to greet it as the new ‘Female Viagra’. But now Pfizer, who actually manufacture Viagra, have stated that they will not be seeking to develop a medication for FSD, despite promising trial results into a new drug.
They have published research into a new medication which could work in a very similar way to how Viagra works with men to enhance female arousal. The experimental treatment works to increase blood flow to the genitals, promoting feelings of desire.
There have been reports of women taking Viagra in an attempt to ameliorate their low libido, but with mixed results.
Though Pfizer says the latest results for the medication, currently known as UK-414,495, are promising, the drug only acts to increase blood flow and does not affect mood, desire or emotional problems. Female Sexual Dysfunction is generally acknowledged to be a more complicated disorder than erectile dysfunction, with a far higher number of cases linked to emotional and psychological factors.
The clinical trials done by Pfizer were performed on animals, rather than humans. The company do not intend to move on to human trials, saying that the chemical compound was not suitable for human development, but believe that the discoveries made during the trial could open the door to a product being created in the future.
The lead researcher Chris Wayman said that the information gathered during the trial shed light on the processes that control sexual desire and could help establish the pathways involved in female arousal.