Health & Medicine

Sexual Disorder Drug Tefina Helps Women with Orgasmic Disorder

Kathleen Lees
First Posted: May 28, 2014 01:20 PM EDT

The sexual disorder drug Tefina was recently announced effective following a second mid-stage study. As of Wednesday, the results showed that when administered via nasal passageway, it was capable of increasing the average number of orgasms experienced by women suffering from orgasmic disorder.

"Female Orgasmic Disorder is the second most prevalent sexual disorder affecting women. Approximately one in five women report difficulty with orgasm and one quarter of these show marked distress, a key criterion in a clinical diagnosis," said Dr. Sheryl Kingsberg, the U.S. principal investigator for the Tefina(TM) Phase II clinical trial, chief of behavioral medicine at University Hospitals Case Medical Center and professor of reproductive biology and psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

The study tested three doses of the drug on 253 enrolled patients who were treated over 84 days in a home setting, the company said, according to Reuters.

In February 2012, Trimel reported that the drug helped increase the number of orgasms in women when in a smaller mid-stage study conducted in a hospital setting.

However, the company did not report the findings from other two tested doses of the drug involving a low-dose gel formation of testosterone.

As there are no approved treatments for female orgasmic disorder at this time, otherwise known as anorgasmia, patients suffering from the health issue may receive hormone tablets or patches to help.

"Currently, there are no approved pharmacological treatment options, leaving an unmet need that Tefina(TM) hopes to remedy," said Dr. Kingsberg, via the Wall Street Journal. "These results mark an important milestone in the development of Tefina(TM). They provide further evidence that Tefina(TM) could represent an important treatment option for the many women who suffer from this disorder. On behalf of Trimel and its various stakeholders, I am extremely excited about this positive outcome and look forward to advancing this product towards commercialization."

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