As the "female Viagra" was discovered

Sprout Pharmaceuticals has made ​​a drug that should actually serve to combat depression, made ​​a drug to increase sexual desire in women.

Although the recently approved new"pink pill" is often referred to as the "female Viagra" - their task is much more complex than that of the known impotence remedy. So they should not increase the sexual performance, but prepare women who take it, more desire for sex. That's one of the reasons that the new drug called flibanserin in the clinical trials really helped only a comparatively small number of patients. Nonetheless, researchers are optimistic that similar agents that can increase sexual desire of the female sex, will follow.

The "pink pill", developed by Sprout Pharmaceuticals, took a circuitous route to the market. Originally flibanserin was tested as a remedy for depression. The manufacturer hoped the drug would work similarly as Prozac and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. But these SSRIs increase the supply of the brain with the neurotransmitter serotonin, while flibanserin dampens serotonin levels. And serotonin reduction in turn led to an increase of dopamine - which can lead to an increase in motivation and drive, because both substances offset against each other.

Researchers suspected earlier that increased levels of dopamine can lead to increased sexual desire. When investigating a drug called Bremelanotide, which was originally developed as a tanning agent, be evidence showed. Under the name of Melanotan Bremelanotide should stimulate the pigment-producing cells in the body (melanocytes) without it potentially leads to skin cancer as tan in nature. In clinical studies, some subjects reported that although they received no browner skin, but partly felt sexually aroused, as James Peacock, Neuroendokrinologe at Concordia University in Canada says.

Peacock was one of the researchers, who should test the surprising (and potentially lucrative) side effect of Melanotan.He found out that Bremelanotide in female rats the frequency dramatically increased, with the male partners, they put themselves at your disposal. Under the influence of the drug, this was done up to 40 times in 30 minutes - and even if the natural libido of rodents had been reduced by a hormone reduction.

In flibanserin the female rats were also sexually active - and it turned out a normal sex behavior in such animals, which did not want to mate normally due to a hormone reduction.

In humans showed flibanserin but only 9 to 14 percent of women who suffered from a reduced sex drive, an effect.The medical term of suffering is "hypoactive sexual dysfunction". Not, however, significantly more than a placebo substance - The drug increased the frequency of satisfying sexual encounters.

One reason for this difference is the fact that rats naturally know no inhibitions culturally conditioned, as is the case in humans, says Peacock. "If a female rat wants to have sex, she gets this. If males 1 is not ready, as it goes to figure 2."

And the entire process of sexual desire in humans is generally much more complex than a simple erectile dysfunction. "Missing sexual desire, is just like a computer problem. When impotence problems you have as a plumber," says Peacock.

Is examined this issue since the 80s for the first time intense, like Kim Wallen, a neuroscientist at Emory University says.At that time it was recognized that women whose ovaries had been removed, although on average the same amount had sex as before, but her desire declined. Wallen believes that there will soon be a whole series of active substances with which those affected can experiment - even if there are different reasons for a reduced sexual desire. "As soon as the first medication available, which opens the door for a true invasion of other active compounds."

Bremelanotide, which is stronger than the "pink pill" would be a possibility - although it is not yet approved either as a tanning agent or as Sexwirkstoff. The path to approval had slowed after a previous drug combination was administered as a nasal spray, potentially fatal blood pressure increases caused some male subjects. At this point, however, was still being tested as Bremelanotide Viagra-like drug for men - because some subjects experienced spontaneous erections in the first investigation. Now, the research focused on women. (Faye Flam)