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A 'Viagra for Women' Just Got Approved By an FDA Panel

The panel voted 18-6 in favor of approving Flibanserin, a libido-boosting drug for women.

We're one step closer to finally getting a Viagra for women, after a medical advisory panel for the Food and Drug Administration voted 18-6 in favor of approving a libido-boosting drug for women.

Flibanserin, the drug in question, works differently than its male counterpart. While Viagra and similar drugs increase blood flow to the genitals, Flibanserin actually alters brain chemistry to put women in the mood.

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Two different manufacturers have tried to get the drug approved since 2010 and it has twice been rejected by the FDA. This vote isn't an official approval from the FDA, but the medical advisors in the past two decisions had not supported approving the drug, so this is the first time the drug has cleared that hurdle.

Why Don't We Have a Female Version of Viagra Yet?

Some have championed the drug as a symbol of equality for women's health. Sprout Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of the drug who bought it from a previous manufacturer in 2011, has been attempting to ride that support through the approval process.

But the difference between Flibanserin and the sexual dysfunction drugs on the market for men has some health groups concerned. A coalition that included the National Women's Health Network and American Medical Student Association submitted a letter outlining their worries about the drug.

"All but one of the drugs approved for men are taken on an as-needed basis, whereas Flibanserin, a central nervous system serotonergic agent with effects on adrenaline and dopamine in the brain, requires chronic—daily, long-term—administration. This raises toxicological concerns that make it appropriate for the FDA to subject Flibanserin to elevated safety scrutiny," the groups wrote. "The problem with Flibanserin is not gender bias at the FDA but the drug itself."

Meanwhile, in March, 11 members of Congress wrote to the FDA to praise the agency for reconsidering the drug, though they didn't express a view on whether or not Flibanserin ought to be approved.

But the advisory panel was convinced by this round's stacks of trials and testimony from women who've tried out the pill for themselves. The FDA still has final say on whether or not the controversial drug is approved, but with such strong support from the panel, there's a good chance women will have a "little blue pill" of their own very soon.