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.