boosted recently by a $300 million investment from Bayer Pharmaceuticals

The quest for the Female Viagra continues in earnest and has been boosted recently by a $300 million investment from Bayer Pharmaceuticals. The money which went to the Canadian research company Endoceutics will be used to pay for Phase 3 clinical trials and research in America and Canada and will involve 1,500 women using the product Vaginorm.

Vaginorm has been designed to treat the thinning of the vaginal wall as well as vaginal dryness which is a common complaint among women suffering from female sexual dysfunction. The product which comes in the form of a topically applied compound contains no hormones but has the active ingredient Dehydroepiandrosterone.

This compound commonly known as DHEA which appears in the body naturally decreases in women as they get older and scientists working for Endoceutics say that insufficient DHEA can be responsible for some of the symptoms of menopause including vaginal atrophy.

Dr. Fernand Labrie, the president of Endoceutics said that while this new treatment was often referred to as "Viagra for women" it was in fact different because the causes of sexual dysfunction in women were completely different to those of men.

Vaginal atrophy which is defined as pain and inflammation as a result of the thinning of the vaginal wall tissues and a lack of naturally occurring vaginal lubrication is one of the most common types of female sexual dysfunction. If Endoceutics have a DHEA treatment which really does work to solve this problem they could be on to something big which could revolutionize the lives of millions of menopausal women.

At present the only "female Viagra" drug licenced for sale in the United Kingdom is Intrinsa which has high success rates with many women. This prescription medication works by increasing the amount of naturally occurring testosterone in the bloodstream which in turn helps women to enjoy sex more.