Posted on 01/01/2008 1:17:11 PM PST by FormerACLUmember
A drug that could do for women what Viagra has done for men is being tested at the University of Virginia. The drug is a testosterone-laden ointment called LibiGel and it's intended to boost the libido of women who have lost interest in sex. It will be prescribed at UVa in coming months to women who are suffering from hypoactive sexual desire disorder. The condition is believed to affect one-third of American women.
"It is the most common sexual problem that women have," said Dr. Anita Clayton, a psychiatrist with the UVa Health System and author of the 2007 book "Satisfaction: Women, Sex and the Quest for Intimacy."
UVa joins 99 other medical institutions participating in testing the drug's efficacy and safety.
If given the green light by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Illinois-based BioSante Pharmaceuticals Inc. hopes to offer the drug to any woman complaining of a low sex drive.
For now, though, Clayton will enroll 25 women between the ages of 30 and 65 to take part in the national study.
Those women must have had both ovaries surgically removed, be currently taking an estrogen supplement and be distressed about their lack of libido.
Ovariectomies, or surgical menopause, can lead to a drop in sexual interest because ovaries produce roughly half of the testosterone in a woman's body.
Testosterone plays a key role in sexual functioning for men and women.
LibiGel comes in a pump bottle. The woman rubs the small dot of gel into the skin of her upper arm. Over the next 24 hours, the gel's testosterone seeps into her bloodstream, boosting her energy and libido.
Clayton, who is running the clinical trial at UVa, said the drug is better than previous testosterone treatments because it keeps levels of the chemical constant, much like naturally occurring testosterone.
"I expect this will work," she said.
In its second-phase clinical trials at 17 institutions, LibiGel led to a 283 percent increase of satisfying sexual encounters for the women taking the drug.
"A lot of women have this problem, but unfortunately they've been largely ignored by pharmaceutical companies," said BioSante's chief executive, Stephen M. Simes. "It's not fair that women have no drugs, while men have many."
Women not interested in sex? Who would have thunk it?
They stop on their own starting late 40’s, 50’s...
What University was that???? U VA???
What University was that???? U VA???
“They stop on their own starting late 40s, 50s...”
Right....
There is an exception to every rule and I’m married to an exceptional gal.
Yes, but the research was likely done at FU.
All good advice. However, you forgot an important element of foreplay. As I tell my husband, if he folds clothes, cleans dishes, sweeps the floor— all these will be considered foreplay in my book.
Uhh... I don’t think I want a woman with erectile dysfunction....
LMAO
Each student participating drove a Volvo.
Watch out when someone mixes it into tanning oil or skin lotions....... could give nymphomania a new meaning.
These “topical” applications may turn out to be great for women looking for it, but the potentials for abuse are also enormous. New frontiers in “date rape” drugs etc. Of course, the article describes a steady dose having gradual effects over 24 hours, but what happens when someone is unknowingly subjected to a much higher dose? Ah, Progress....
You win. I can’t go on. Well, I could, but
I’d
be
in
trouble
!
No, you need to get her enrolled in the next Democratic debate.
Diamonds cure headache
viagra for women is not only not necessary, I’m not so sure it’s a good idea.
What about the legitimate reasons women lose interest in sex?
What? I should look so good...
No, a vowel, not two vowels and a consonant.
They have all the power already.
geez pretty soon we won’t need men for anything!
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