The female Viagra, meant to boost the libido of women who struggle with decreased sex drive, has received a nod from the Food and Drug Administration advisory committee.
According to the Washington Post, Flibanserin, developed by Sprout Pharmaceuticals, works by boosting the response of receptors in the brain to chemicals like serotonin and dopamine, the Verge reported.
However, there are concerns about the drug, which the FDA has described as having "a challenging risk / benefit assessment."
Sprout Pharmaceuticals said that in a 24-week clinical trial, 46 to 60 percent of women benefitted from the treatment, but detractors argue that if the placebo effect is taken into consideration only 10 percent of women actually benefitted.
Flibanerin has been rejected by the FDA twice before, in 2010 and 2013, but Sprout Pharmaceuticals has continued to aggressively resubmit the drug. The advisory committee will now work on setting the conditions that will need to accompany FDA approval.