Back in 2010, the FDA was considering approving something dubbed “female Viagra.” The drug, flibanserin, was originally developed as an antidepressant, but it didn’t work and in fact had depression as a side effect. So with the bright idea to market it as a female aphrodisiac, Boehringer Ingelheim tried to get it approved by the FDA for that purpose. But the FDA said no two times, development stopped, and the drug was sold to Sprout Pharmaceuticals.
Sprout began a marketing campaign painting it in gender-equity colors with the slogan “Even the Score,” and the FDA approved the drug in 2015. Two days later, Sprout sold out to Valeant Pharmaceuticals for a cool billion dollars.
But the drug didn’t do so well, as efficacy was small compared to placebos, and had side effects of nausea, dizziness, sleepiness, depression, etc., and while flibanserin should be taken daily, it could not be taken with alcohol. It sold a measly $10 million, which in the pharmaceutical game is peanuts. Now, the question is why did the FDA approve it in the first place?
