Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Benefits Of Women's Low-Libido Medication May Not Outweigh Expense And Side Effects
The Washington Post's Wonkblog: The New Women’s Libido Drug May Not Be The Feminist Victory That It Seems
Should women really be celebrating the new libido drug? Flibanserin, the newly approved drug that has been touted as the "female Viagra" and decried for its risky side effects, has been under an intense media spotlight for the past two days. Just days after Sprout Pharmaceuticals received federal regulators' blessing to market the drug, the small company got scooped up by a Canadian drugmaker for $1 billion. (Johnson, 8/20)
The New York Times' DealBook: Maker Of Addyi, ‘Female Viagra’ Drug, Being Sold To Valeant For $1B
Sprout Pharmaceuticals, which on Tuesday won regulatory approval for the first pill to aid a woman’s sex drive, will be acquired by Valeant Pharmaceuticals International for about $1 billion in cash. The deal, announced on Thursday, represents a sizable return for investors in Sprout, a privately held company in Raleigh, N.C., with 34 employees. A total of about $100 million has been invested in Sprout since its formation in 2011. (Pollack and Bray, 8/20)
Bloomberg: Valeant Buys Female Libido-Drug Maker Sprout For $1B
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. agreed to pay about $1 billion in cash for Sprout Pharmaceuticals Inc., the U.S. drugmaker that this week received approval to sell a pill for low libido in women. Sprout’s pill received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday. The drug has been controversial due to modest benefits and serious side effects, and was caught up in a debate about whether male sexual dysfunction has received more attention. The agency followed the counsel of an expert panel that decided in June that the benefits of the drug outweighed the risks. (Chen, Koons and Edney, 8/20)
