FDA Panel To Vote On 'Female Viagra'

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – An FDA panel is slated to vote Thursday on whether or not to recommend the so-called "female Viagra."

The drug, flibanserin, is designed to boost sex drive in women.

Unlike Viagra, however, the drug works on brain chemistry.

In men, Viagra targets blood flow.

The FDA has rejected the drug twice before, leading some to accuse the agency of being sexist when it comes to sex.

"For a condition to have been known about for almost four decades but still not yet have a single treatment, that probably does say something," argues Cindy Whitehead, the CEO of Sprout Pharmaceuticals.

The FDA rejects those claims and released a statement that reads, in part:

"The FDA has recognized the challenges involved with developing treatments for female sexual dysfunction."