It is the holy grail that drug manufacturers have clamoured to reach: female Viagra - the cure for a woman's lack of sex drive.
Now, experts say one version could be available as soon as 2016 - and it promises to stimulate both body and mind.
Emotional Brain, a company based in the U.S. and The Netherlands, is currently developing two drugs for the treatment of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) - otherwise known as a low sex drive.
The primary one, called Lybridos, has proved 'effective for women with low sex drive and motivation as a result of insensitivity to sexual cues', according to the company's website.
Around 30% of women suffer from a lack of sexual desire, but experts say a new 'female Viagra' could be on the market within three years
The drug is said to 'increase sexual motivation and physiological sexual response, such as blood flow to the genitals and lubrication', but also affect the mind.
Unlike male Viagra, which deals with the sole mechanics of achieving an erection, Lybridos also targets the areas of brain related to sexual desire.
When taken, levels of the brain chemicals serotonin and dopamine are altered, giving dopamine - the area of the brain associated with pleasure and attraction - the advantage, the New York Times Magazine reported.
The newspaper reports that both drugs have a mint-flavoured coating which contains the sex hormone testosterone to boost sexual desire. Once this has melted away, the woman swallows the tablet which has a delayed inner-release.
But experts say libido is a complex issue and a 'mix of brain, heart and hormones'
The pill is said to be a 'close cousin' of Viagra - and, as in men, this enhances blood flow to the genitals, enhancing sensation.
Instead of using the same ingredients as Viagra, the Lybridos uses buspirone, which was initially developed as an anti-anxiety medication and works by raising levels of the hormone serotonin.
Combined with testosterone to boost libido, the researchers believe they have the winning combination of mind and body stimulation.
A lack of libido is a common problem, with an astonishing 30 per cent of women claiming to have no sex drive at all, according to the Sexual Advice Association.
Lybrido is said to be a 'close cousin' of Viagra - and, as in men, this enhances blood flow to the genitals, enhancing sensation
The experts stress that lack of libido — the desire for sex — can be caused by a variety of factors, including a deteriorating relationship with your partner or as the result of a medical condition or decline in hormones, such as with the menopause.
‘Libido is a complex issue — it’s a mix of brain, heart and hormones,’ says John Studd, professor of gynaecology and libido expert based in Wimpole Street, London.
However, the ‘problem’ of low libido in women is controversial.
Other experts are far from convinced it is a condition requiring medical treatment, arguing the concept has been created by drug companies in order to sell more of their products — and there is nothing intrinsically problematic about not having a high sex drive.
Indeed, women interviewed by the New York Times were unable to say exactly why they had lost interest in sex.
'Sometimes I wonder whether it' - H.S.D.D. - isn't so much about libido as it is about boredom,' Lori Brotto, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia who works with patients with clinically low libidos, told the Times.
'The impact of relationship duration is something that comes up constantly.'
However, the researchers on the Lybridos study have admitted that if the drug works too well, the FDA might not approve it or fear of creating 'female excesses, crazed binges of infidelity, [and] societal splintering.'
There are fears, apparently, that the researchers are attempting to create 'nymphomania' in women.
'There’s a bias against — a fear of creating the sexually aggressive woman,' Andrew Goldstein, a Washington-based researcher told the paper.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2329528/Female-Viagra-stimulates-body-AND-mind-market-years.html#ixzz2U8biNheg
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