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THE ‘PINKING’ OF
VIAGRA CULTURE:
DRUG INDUSTRY
EFFORTS TO CREATE
AND REPACKAGE SEX
DRUGS FOR WOMEN
Hartley, Ch. 23, pp. 287-296
FEMALE SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION
With the success Viagra-like drugs for men, women's sexual
problems have become medicalized just as men's were – defined
and understood as a largely physiologically based set of
conditions called female sexual dysfunction (FSD)
2 MAIN STRATEGIES OF DRUG
INDUSTRY
1.
a search for a Pink Viagra to treat the "disease" of FSD,
shifting from products to treat arousal problems to those
targeted at desire problems
2.
the increasing promotion and normalization of off-label
uses of men's sex drugs for women
INFLATED EPIDEMIOLOGY AND
THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF FSD
In pursuing these strategies, the pharmaceutical industry has
relied on inflated epidemiology and the institutionalization of
FSD
INFLATED EPIDEMIOLOGY:
Widespread dissemination of disease prevalence estimates,
namely the '43-31' study, which found that more than 4
out of 10 women (43%) have sexual problems, a rate of
dysfunction higher than that of men (31%)
Even the author of the original study himself has gone on
record saying the findings were misappropriated to
promote the medicalization of sexual problems
THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF FSD
FSD has become institutionalized in academic circles. Key
events in institutionalization process:
1.
Development of systems of disease classification amenable to
medical approaches
2.
Creation of a legitimized infrastructure for disseminating
supporting research and education
3.
Formation of an attendant professional organization
4.
Establishment of an appropriate medical specialty
INSTITUTIONALIZATION
Widely used term in social theory to denote the process of
making something (e.g., a concept, social role, particular
values or norms, or modes of behavior) become embedded
within an organization, social system, or society as an
established custom or norm within that system
STRATEGY I: SECURING FDA APPROVAL
FOR A WOMEN'S SEX DRUG
At least 7 drug companies are developing testosterone
products for women
When Viagra trials for women failed, there was a shift in the
definition of FSD, from an arousal problem to a desire
problem
STRATEGY II: OFF-LABEL PRESCRIBING OF
MEN'S SEX DRUGS TO WOMEN
While none of the existing ED drugs have been sufficiently
tested and proven for use in women, increasingly women
are given off-label prescriptions for them and now
approximately 1/5 of all the prescriptions of testosterone
products approved for men are actually written (off-label)
for women
Off-label prescribing is now seen as a way to circumvent the
(time-consuming and expensive) FDA-approval process
altogether in some cases
THE BERMANS: A CASE STUDY IN THE
COMMERCIALIZATION OF FSD
Sisters, Laura Berman, PhD (sex therapist) and Jennifer
Berman, MD (urologist)
Used crossover appeal to leave academia for profit-driven
commercial sectors
Built a multimedia company specializing in women's health,
particularly in the treatment of FSD
Offer "quality care in a spa-like high-end environment“ that is
expensive and usually not covered by health insurance
Claim approach combines strengths of psychotherapy with benefits
of medication, but ultimately give preference to biomedical
perspective
NUTRACEUTICALS
Currently the only FSD products widely advertised are
those from the OTC herbal/botanical/dietary supplement
market that do not fall within the FDA's jurisdiction
Two most visible products are Avlimil and Zestra - the
marketing platforms for both products attempt to make them
seem like prescription drugs