The blockbuster erectile dysfunction (ED) pills, such as Viagra and Cialis, improved the sex lives of millions of men across the world. But, what about women with female sexual dysfunction (FSD)?
Dr. Harin Padma-Nathan, a specialist in sexual health from Los Angeles, has been working with a biotechnology company on developing a natural product that could help women overcome FSD, which is nothing but cannabis.
Generating millions of revenue to the manufacturers, Viagra and Cialis are a boon to millions of men. However, there are limited or no options for women who struggle with arousal disorder, low sexual drive, painful coition (dyspareunia), and difficulty achieving orgasm (anorgasmia).
In December, Dr. Parma-Nathan joined Manna Molecular Science as a chief medical officer, which was established in 2015 by a passionate group of pharmaceutical chemists and cannabis industry experts.
The specialist in sexual disorders said, “There’s a ‘paucity of treatment options for women’ who struggle to become aroused or to climax,” adding, “The prevalence of sexual dysfunction is high in both genders, and this causes distress in both genders.”
He is working on a cannabis-based gel that women can apply to themselves before sexual intercourse.
This may sound a bit weird, but there is research pointing out that the users of marijuana often indulge in sexual activity. In fact, a 2017 study conducted on nearly 23,000 men and 28,000 women reported that there is a positive connection between marijuana use and increased sexual activity frequency in both the gender across the globe.
In the meantime, experts at Manna Molecular, which develops cannabis-based transdermal patches (Manna) for people with chronic pain, anxiety, and insomnia, said some women, who applied the product on the pelvis, have told them that it helps reduce pain and discomfort caused during sexual intercourse. This promoted the company’s CEO, Nial DeMena, to invite Dr. Padma-Nathan at a conference on cannabinoids in medicine, which the latter organized in Los Angeles in May 2018.
DeMena asked the 62-year-old urologist whether there was something to believe cannabis might improve women’s sexual health. On Wednesday, DeMena recalled, “He said, ‘actually, there’s pretty good evidence.’”
The LA conference led the company to recruit Dr. Padma-Nathan. Manna started selling its transdermal patches over the counter in 2016.
DeMena said, “We never would have made a [sexual health] product unless Harin was somebody driving that.”
The sexual health specialist said, “Unlike Viagra, Cialis, and other erectile dysfunction medicines, cannabinoids are a potential ‘sexual enhancement,’ not a drug.”
Manna Molecular Science is not planning to conduct clinical trials of the product or seek approval from the FDA, which is typically a very lengthy and difficult process. “This is not a treatment for a severe medical issue. We want to be conservative in what we promise,” said Dr. Padma-Nathan.
The company has recently started conducting clinical trials of their product on vaginal tissue that is removed from rats at Pelvipharm, a contractual research organization in France, which specializes in the studies of sexual health issues disorders. In fact, Pfizer and Eli Lilly used the same organization when they tested Viagra and Cialis on animals, noted Dr. Padma-Nathan.
For Manna’s clinical tests, Dr. Padma-Nathan is eager to see whether the tissue relaxes when immersed in cannabidiol (CBD), which is an active ingredient in cannabis. If the tissue relaxes with cannabis, it may indicate that even human tissue will respond the same way, increasing sexual arousal.
The sexual health specialist said, “The evidence is that in lower doses, cannabis enhances sexual function, and at extremely high doses, it may have a detrimental effect.”
DeMena explained that the company is also planning to study the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), another ingredient found in marijuana, on sexual performance. Ultimately, Manna might contain both CNB and THC.
The clinical trials on the rodent tissue have just started and are expected to take approximately three months. However, DeMena hopes the gel will make it to the market this summer.
A bottle of the cannabis-infused gel would cost you around $20 to $30, which could deliver at least 10 doses. Even if the product improves sex, Dr. Padma-Nathan is doubtful that it will be reliable for women as ED drugs are for men. He said, “Men and women are just wired differently. Men are more simplistic than women. Our sexual response cycle is linear, starting with desire, arousal, and orgasm. Women are more complex.”
