P&G Test Patch to Restore Female Libido
Procter & Gamble Co. hopes a female libido patch under development will bring it billions in sales for its prescription drug subsidiary, which made its first profit last year, reports SunSpot.net (Online site of the Baltimore Sun).
P&G Pharmaceuticals says its testosterone patch could restore the sex drive in post-menopausal women. The company will invest several hundred million dollars developing the patch, called Intrinsa, but it will not be available for several years.
Nearly transparent and the size of an egg, the patch is worn just below the navel and changed about twice weekly. Large-scale testing of the patch in volunteers starts this month, one of the last stages before U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. Company researchers are emphasizing that they don’t want the patch seen as a “lifestyle” drug like Viagra. They want the product reserved for women with a medically documented loss of libido.
Intrinsa is one of about 30 products the unit is developing. Others include
Stedicor, an anti-arryhthmia drug, and Pexelizumab, for patients that have coronary
bypass surgery. P&G, who licensed the testosterone patch technology from
Watson Pharmaceuticals, faces competition from drug makers testing alternatives
such as battery-operated devices, pills, creams and other patches.
Moderator Comment: Where is the competition for Intrinsa
most likely to come from?
As the population ages, the incidence of sexual dysfunction
within the population will increase. What categories/types of pharmaceutical
and OTC products do you think will experience exponential growth over the next
20 years? [George
Anderson – Moderator]