‘Female Viagra’ Addyi has only ‘marginal’ sexual benefits, study finds

Researchers also found high instances of negative effects caused by the drug

Flibanserin was first developed by Sprout Pharmaceuticals but was sold to Valeant Pharmaceuticals for $1 billion (AP)

The benefits of a drug dubbed ‘female Viagra’ have been found to be "marginal".

Flibanserin, now sold as Addyi, was found to only increase the number of satisfying sexual experiences women who used it had by one every two months.

The researchers expressed concern over the limited benefits of the drug in addition to a number of unpleasant side effects that it can also cause.

Researchers in the Netherlands looked at eight studies testing the drug, intended for women with "hypoactive sexual desire disorder" (low libido with a number of possible causes), which totalled nearly 6,000 women.

They found that users experienced "one-half of an additional sexually satisfying encounter per month".

This was in addition to the two or three sexually satisfying events the women were able to experience without the help of the drug.

However, researchers expressed concern that the poor benefits of the drug were also “statistically and clinically significantly increasing the risk of dizziness, somnolence [drowsiness], nausea, and fatigue.”

When combined with alcohol, the drug posed further risks, including hypotension and fainting.

The report continued: "Overall, the quality of the evidence was graded as very low for efficacy and safety outcomes."

"Women do experience some sort of benefit, but the benefits are marginal and have to be seen in the light of more side-effects," study author Dr Loes Jaspers of Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, said in to CBC.

The research confirms concerns that some parties have long held about the drug. PharmedOut, a campaign group which monitors how pharmaceutical companies influence prescribing drugs, expressed concern in 2015 about the “clever, aggressive public relations campaign” that it says saw the drug gaining FDA approval.

In regards to the new findings, Dr Adriane Fugh-Berman, PharmedOut’s director, said to the New York Times: “An additional half a satisfying sexual encounter a month — is that meaningful?”

“I think only the women can answer that, but perhaps they already have with their lack of enthusiasm for getting prescriptions.”

Flibanserin is not as popular as expected, with less than 300 prescriptions being given a week and sales of $11 million a year, rather than the $100 million or more which was expected, Wells Fargo analyst David Maris told the New York Times.

Flibanserin, first produced by Sprout Pharmaceuticals and now owned by Valeant Pharmaceuticals , was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last year after two previous failed attempts.

In a seperate development, Valeant Pharmaceuticals are currently under investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission and have seen their stock plummet over the last few days.

While the drug does not actually work like Viagra – which improves blood flow to the penis – Flibanserin, originally developed as an anti-depressant, targets chemicals in the brain with the aim of increasing female sexual desire.

Despite not yet being widely available to in the UK, the drug does appear on specialist British pharmaceutical websites to buyers with a prescription.

The drug’s introduction was strongly supported by women’s campaign groups such as Even the Score, who felt it was unfair that drugs to treat sexual issues in men were easy to come by but not for women.