Intrinsa patch medication benefits

Procter & Gamble's Intrinsa testosterone patches does not seem to help increase libido or improve female impotence in women after menopause. Intrinsa is licensed for use in Europe but not in the United States where, in 2004, regulators voted against approving the patches that deliver testosterone, citing lack of evidence for their long-term safety. "The published evidence so far is based on highly selected women and only shows small improvements in sexual parameters and large placebo responses," Ike Iheanacho, editor of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin, said which published the review of published studies.

Intrinsa is licensed for women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder, characterized by persistently diminished or absent desire for sex. A person with the disorder can function sexually. The patch, which delivers a daily dose of testosterone, is available in Britain for women who have gone through menopause due to womb and ovary removal. Ike Iheanacho and colleagues reviewed a handful of studies looking at Intrinsa that included nearly 4,000 women. Most of the trials lasted less than six months, which made it difficult to determine long-term safety. Side effects were common and the improvements in sex drive was small.

Drug utilization of Intrinsa (testosterone patch) in England: interim analysis of a prescription-event monitoring study to support risk management.
Drug Saf. 2010 Mar 1; Osborne V, Hazell L, Layton D, Shakir SA.Drug Safety Research Unit, Bursledon Hall, Southampton, UK.
Intrinsa is a transdermal testosterone patch that is indicated for use in hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in women who have undergone bilateral oophorectomy and hysterectomy (surgically-induced menopause) receiving concomitant oestrogen therapy. In this interim analysis, patients were identified from dispensed prescriptions that had been issued by general practitioners (GPs) for Intrinsa from March 2007. 'Green form' questionnaires were sent to GPs 6 months following the date of the first prescription for Intrinsa for each individual patient, requesting information including age, sex, start and stop dates of treatment (if stopped), prescribing indication and reasons for stopping. Additional questions were asked regarding the patient's menopausal status and use of concomitant oestrogen therapy. The interim cohort consisted of 756 patients. The majority of patients were reported to be female (746 [98%]) with a median (interquartile range) age of 50 years (44-55 years). The most commonly reported indication was the licensed indication of HSDD in 580 patients (76%). Just under one-half of the patients (n = 364 [48%]) were reported to have been hysterectomized and bilaterally oophorectomized (surgically-induced menopause) prior to starting Intrinsa; 127 patients (16%) were naturally menopausal. For 222 patients (29%) the GP specified that the patient was not using concomitant oestrogen therapy. Overall, only 219 patients (29%) in the cohort were being prescribed Intrinsa according to the manufacturer's recommendations. This study has highlighted that some clinicians are prescribing this product outside the recommended terms of the licence, with less than 30% of patients receiving Intrinsa according to prescribing guidelines. All events experienced by these patients will be analysed to detect any possible adverse events from using Intrinsa outside of the licensed therapeutic indication. The findings support the ongoing postmarketing risk management of the product.