'Female viagra' on the verge of approval

It's a new dawn in female sexual relations as a United States government panel has urged regulators to approve a drug to treat low sexual desire in women, nicknamed the "female Viagra".

According to BBC, experts backed flibanserin, but said it must carry warnings about strong possible side effects including fainting and tiredness.

The final decision now lies with US regulatory body, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) moreso as the body had rejected the drug twice since 2010, though it usually follows the advice of its experts.

Women taking the drug reported between 0.5 and one more sexually satisfying event per month, while results experts admitted the statistics were "modest".

Dr Julia Heiman of the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University however said "even modest results can make a lot of difference when you're at a certain point in the clinical problem"

Meanwhile, women's rights group Even the Score, which has accused the FDA of gender bias by approving a number of drugs treating erectile dysfunction in men without passing an equivalent for women.

The group will help drug developers, Sprout Pharmaceuticals, lobby for approval. But some criticised the campaign as providing cover for a drug with marginal effects.

Backing this argument, Dr Adriane Fugh-Berman of Georgetown University said "to approve this drug will set the worst kind of precedent - that companies that spend enough money can force the FDA to approve useless or dangerous drugs"

If approved, flibanserin will be aimed at pre-menopausal women.