Drug industry links run deep in field of sexual medicine

[...] the history and development of that questionnaire — funded by drugmakers — underscores how closely the field of sexual medicine is intertwined with the pharmaceutical industry.

[...] lends weight to arguments that low libido is just the latest commonplace sexual problem — like impotence or low testosterone — to be transformed into a medical condition by drugmakers.

The questionnaire that helped push Addyi over finish line is called the Female Sexual Function Index, a 19-question form used to measure women's sexual problems, including issues with pain, orgasm, arousal and desire.

The companies hired a panel of medical experts to design the form, which was intended to help doctors define and diagnose sexual disorders.

[...] as the FDA review dragged on — through a formal dispute with Sprout and an outside lobbying campaign by company supporters — the agency's view of the questionnaire seemed to evolve.

[...] in its third round reviewing the pill, the FDA conceded that while the form "may not be an optimal assessment, it may provide interpretable findings of efficacy."

Fugh-Berman, of Georgetown, notes that company-funded questionnaires are a familiar tool in the drug industry playbook, previously used to promote conditions like social anxiety, overactive bladder and low testosterone in men.