Female Viagra Developed at Boehringer Ingelheim in Ridgefield

The first drug approved to treat sexual dysfunction in women is now on sale. According to the News-Times, the drug called, "Addyi,"was developed at Boehringer Ingelheim in Ridgefield.The downside of Addyi is it needs to be taken every day and there's a warning about drinking alcohol when taking the drug, which could be a deterrent for women. The huge difference is that Viagra works by increasing blood flow to the penis, triggering arousal.

For women, Addyi's purpose is to increase sexual desire which is an emotional result that can be harder to achieve according to Dr. Mary Jane Minkin from the Yale University School of Medicine.

Some of the side effects of Addyi could be considered alarming including low blood pressure and an extended period of unconsciousness. Despite its disadvantages, the big plus is that it represents a large step forward in treating a woman's lack of libido.

Initially, Boehringer Ingelheim created the drug to treat depression and then in 2009 submitted the drug to the FDA to treat women for "lack of sexual desire." After the FDA rejected their request in 2010 claiming lack of sufficient evidence efficacy, Boehringer sold the drug to Sprout Pharmaceuticals, who finally got the approval of the FDA. Addyi was available for sale on October 17.

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