View source for Testosterone (patch)

The '''testosterone patch''', brand name '''Intrinsa''' among others, was designed to treat [[female sexual dysfunction]].

==Mechanism of action==
Testosterone patches works by releasing the hormone [[testosterone (medication)|testosterone]] through the skin into the bloodstream. In women, testosterone is naturally produced by the [[ovaries]] and the [[adrenal]] gland. However, levels of the hormone decline with age, sometimes more after [[menopause]]. Testosterone therapy is systemic and needs to be applied over a period of weeks or months to have an effect.<ref name=bw>[https://web.archive.org/web/20041028112855/http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/oct2004/nf20041028_8091_db016.htm Can Intrinsa Be a Viagra for Women?] BusinessWeek, October 28, 2004. Retrieved June 22, 2007.</ref> P&G licensed the treatment to Watson Pharmaceuticals.<ref name=bw/>

==Approval==

The patch was granted a license from the [[European Medicines Agency]] in July, and is available on [[United Kingdom|Britain]]'s [[National Health Service]] from March 2007.{{cn|date=June 2020}}

However, in December 2004 the [[United States]] the 14-member [[Food and Drug Administration (United States)|Food and Drug Administration]] (FDA) advisory committee, plus voting consultants, for Reproductive Health Drugs unanimously rejected Procter and Gamble's fast-track request for Intrinsa citing concerns about [[off-label use]].  In Canada, post-menopausal women have been able to obtain government-approved testosterone treatment since 2002. In Australia, post-menopausal women can use [[Organon International|Organon]] testosterone implants which have to be surgically inserted and last from three to six months.<ref name=about>[http://uspolitics.about.com/od/healthcare/a/Intrinsa_d03.htm FDA Panel Rejects Intrinsa] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070905194204/http://uspolitics.about.com/od/healthcare/a/Intrinsa_d03.htm |date=2007-09-05 }} About.com Politics, December 2004. Retrieved 22 June 2007.</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of androgens available in the United States]]
* [[Bremelanotide]]
* [[Flibanserin]]
* [[Melanotan II]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.intrinsa.com Procter and Gamble web page for Intrinsa].
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071121134143/http://www.intrinsa.org/ Information on Intrinsa and User Forum]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6495211.stm Patch 'to boost female sex drive']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927215546/http://www.thestreet.com/stocks/robertsteyer/10196841.html FDA Looks at P&G's Sex-Drive Drug]
* [https://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-11-22-berman_x.htm Women's sexual health deserves equal attention]


{{Sexual dysfunction pharmacotherapies}}
{{Androgens and antiandrogens}}
{{Androgen receptor modulators}}

[[Category:Anabolic–androgenic steroids]]
[[Category:Female sexual dysfunction drugs]]
[[Category:Aphrodisiacs]]