Valeant jumps into bed with ‘female Viagra’ maker Sprout

Sprout bought it from a German company which had given up after the FDA rejected an application in 2010.

After its approval, Sprout estimated that Addyi would be available in the US by October 17, and Valeant says they have a similar timeline of getting the drug available by fourth quarter 2015.

Valeant expects the cash deal to close in the third quarter and Addyi (flibanserin) to reach the market before the end of the year as the first-ever approved therapy for female sexual disorder, with Sprout shareholders in line for a share of future profits from the new drug. It recruited the National Organization of Women to burnish the drug’s feminist credentials.

Last spring, before the meeting of an outside panel that would recommend whether the FDA ought to approve Addyi, a coalition of advocacy groups called Even the Score launched a Change.org petition citing the need for gender equity in terms of sexual dysfunction treatments.

“We’ve always been about making it to the finish line (with FDA approval) and letting women make the choice with their health care provider about this treatment“, she said.

It’s also the only drug under the Sprout Pharmaceutical umbrella, approved or in trials.

Sprout Chief Executive Officer, Cindy Whitehead, said, “I am extremely proud of the commitment and passion of our 34 employees who have been mission driven to get to this breakthrough first for women”.

Certainly, the approval of the first drug to combat female hypoactive sexual desire disorders is a win from a certain perspective.

For women whose low sexual desire isn’t the result of relationship problems, a history of abuse, depression, medical ailments, medication side effects or other non-biologic factors, flibanserin will help restore their sexual appetite.

The pink pill can cause low-blood pressure, dizziness, nausea, sleepiness, and fainting. The company’s libido pills will be sold under the brand name Addyi, according to a person familiar with the matter.

By working on neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine that the brain uses to transmit information, the drug enhances sexual desire.

While estimates are for peak annual Addyi sales to hit $100m to $300m, Pearson highlighted that many analysts had underestimated Viagra’s sales potential before its introduction in 1998. Valeant said Sprout will stay headquartered in Raleigh and become a division of the publicly traded corporation. Women are advised to abstain from alcohol while taking Addyi.