FDA advisers unanimously say Boehringer sex pill for women did not prove effective

FDA panel pans pink pill for female libido

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Federal health experts say unanimously the first pill designed to boost female libido did not show strong enough results to warrant approval.

Boehringer Ingelheim’s pink pill flibanserin is the latest drug industry offering to target women with low sex drive, a market potentially worth billions.

But members of the Food and Drug Administration’s reproductive drugs panel voted 11-0 that the drug’s benefits did not outweigh side effects, including fatigue, depression and fainting spells.

Flibanserin failed to increase sexual desire, as recorded by women in daily journals, in two company studies.

The FDA will make its own decision on the drug in coming months, though it generally follows the panel’s advise.