The PINK PILL for Women's Sexual Desire - Why it Took 10x Longer for Women's Addyi vs Men's Viagara with Cindy Eckert & Julie Bristow

Sphere Abacus, which handles global sales, will also present the film to buyers at MIPCOM next week.

How does Addyi work in HSDD?

Viagra fixes a physical issue; lack of blood flow to male sex organs. A man takes it, and presto, he’s ready to rock and roll when he and his sweetie climb out of their bathtubs at sunset. The pink pill, flibanserin, or Addyi® (the brand name), was first developed in the 1990s for depression but failed to show significant benefit. It increases levels of dopamine and noradrenalin and reduces levels of serotonin. How this translates into increased sexual desire isn’t clear.

Keys to patient success

FDA rejected the drug twice, in 2010 and 2013, because of safety and effectiveness concerns. Still, after women told an advisory panel in June how low libido had ruined their lives, the panel recommended approval for premenopausal women. Earlier this month, the agency followed that advice. In clinical trials, the drug showed VERY modest benefits. In one trial, women who took the pill had an average of 4.4 “satisfying sexual experiences a month” compared with 3.7 for women given a placebo. Paramount+ is set to release the film in Canada in early 2026.

THE PINK PILL: SEX, DRUGS & WHO HAS CONTROL explores the fight to put women’s sexual health on equal footing in a medical system that has long overlooked their needs. At the center is entrepreneur Cindy Eckert, whose trademark pink and fearless determination made her a lightning rod in the battle to bring Addyi— which the media dubbed “female Viagra”—to market.

Controversy Over the Little Pink Pill

You can schedule that at your convenience by clicking here. Please contact her at dranna@drannagarrett.com. EXPOSING GENDER BIAS IN HEALTH CARE, THE PINK PILL: SEX, DRUGS & WHO HAS CONTROL, PREMIERES AT DOC NYC ON 11/15/25. Toronto, ON/Washington, D.C. – October 9, 2025 – Producers Julie Britow of Catalyst and Abby Greensfelder of Everywoman Studios are proud to share THE PINK PILL: SEX, DRUGS & WHO HAS CONTROL, the boundary-pushing and essential documentary by award-winning director Aisling Chin-Yee (No Ordinary Man, The Rest of Us, Plan B) is confirmed to have its world premiere at DOC NYC on Saturday, November 15. Eckert confronted gender bias at the FDA head-on, ultimately winning approval in 2015 on the strength of science. Her victory, followed by a billion-dollar sale of Addyi, laid bare a double standard: while Viagra and more than twenty drugs for men were greenlit with ease, Eckert endured a decade of roadblocks, restrictions, and public attacks.

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I’m not sure 7/10ths of a “satisfying experience” is worth it for a drug that requires daily use and has the potential for side effects such as drowsiness, insomnia, nausea, extremely low blood pressure, and loss of consciousness. That list will get you out of the mood very quickly. The risks increase when patients drink alcohol or take certain medicines that interfere with the breakdown of flibanserin in the body such as Biaxin®, Ketek®, Cardizem®, and Diflucan®. Grapefruit juice can also have this effect. Doctors and pharmacists who will prescribe or dispense the drug must watch an online tutorial, pass a test demonstrating their comprehension, and counsel patients following FDA guidelines.

Is Lack of Desire all in Our Heads??

In addition, the manufacturer will have to conduct three well-designed post-marketing studies to understand the interaction with alcohol better. The FDA approved Flibanserin to treat HSDD (hypoactive sexual desire disorder) or female sexual interest/arousal disorder, which the DSM-V manual list as a mental disorder. This drug approval supports the notion that women who don’t seek sexual arousal are in some way broken and need to fix themselves. Who decides the number of sexual encounters a woman should desire? And if she desires less than the “average,” does she require a diagnosis and chemical manipulation of her brain? The film expands beyond Eckert’s story to spotlight a new wave of doctors and scientists.

• Some pink pills contain ingredients like L-arginine to stimulate blood flow.
• They're sometimes recommended alongside other fertility or health treatments.
• The branding and marketing are often targeted towards women seeking empowerment.
• Quality control can vary significantly between brands and products.

It advocates challenging the medical establishment’s dismissal of female pleasure and demanding change, capturing a defining moment in the push for healthcare equality and bodily autonomy.

Real Science. Real Results.

It was rejected by the Food and Drug Administration twice — and when it was approved, it had a black box warning, which has since been removed. The film examines the systemic bias against women’s care, including concerns that women would “not make good choices” on the medication. There haven’t been, at least publicly, similar concerns about medications for male erectile dysfunction. “How do you take on the government for women's sexual pleasure?” Eckert says in the trailer. “You lean right into it and say, ‘This is the conversation we're going to have.'” The Pink Pill: Sex, Drugs and Who Has Control is now streaming through DOCNYC.

Common side effects

The Food and Drug Administration’s recent approval of a marginally effective drug to enhance the sexual drive of women with low libido raises a lot of questions. We will probably never know whether the agency made a purely scientific judgment or whether a campaign called “Even the Score” unduly influenced it. This campaign was partly financed by the manufacturer and organized with the help of one of its consultants. It depicted the agency as gender-biased for never having approved a drug to treat sexual dysfunction in women while approving numerous drugs for men. There is no similarity between this drug and Viagra®. “I am thankful for the trust that I was given by the people I spoke to in the making of this film, and proud to spotlight those who challenge the inequity and systemic bias against women’s and marginalized bodies’ needs, especially in something as fundamental as sexual health,” said Aisling Chin-Yee.

• The pink pill aims to boost women's libido and sexual satisfaction.
• It often contains ingredients like aphrodisiacs or hormonal components.
• Some pink pills are marketed as supplements; others are pharmaceutical drugs.
• Effectiveness varies; consult a healthcare provider before use.

“We hope the film sparks a powerful conversation about the urgent need for equitable healthcare.” “We are incredibly passionate about this film and for what we believe it can do for women’s sexual health, in particular. Our goal is for it to become essential viewing for anyone who cares about healthcare and gender equality,” said executive producers Julie Bristow, Abby Greensfelder, and Knix Founder and President Joanna Griffiths.

“Aisling did a wonderful job in building trust with the entrepreneurs, doctors, and activists who do this work every day and who wanted to share the story and frustrations of all the people whose lives are most affected by the lack of proper sexual healthcare. Education is key in reshaping views and policies, and our hope is for this film to reach audiences across the globe, starting at DOC NYC.” The film marks the first project from Docs for Change, a collaboration between Catalyst, the Toronto-based studio for woman-identifying creators, and Knix Fund, a philanthropic arm of the game-changing intimates brand Knix. Producers Julie Bristow, Abby Greensfelder, and Knix Founder and President Joanna Griffiths will participate in a DOC NYC Industry panel on November 17 to discuss film financing in today’s day and age, and share examples of international co-productions and atypical funding models, asking what new partnerships can mean for creative freedom, financial stability, and the future vitality of nonfiction storytelling.

Episode Transcript

In my mind, the best solution to a lack of sexual desire involves non-drug approaches, like therapy and mind-body techniques. We need to get our partners on board and engaged in the solution and address the root causes. There is no “mojo miracle” quick fix. The use of mind-altering drugs to increase libido simply continues society’s pathologizing of normal behavior in women. The FDA’s approval of flibanserin creates a potentially dangerous situation and does women a disservice in the long run.

Incidence not known

Dr. Anna Garrett is a pharmacist and menopause expert who helps women who are struggling with symptoms of perimenopause and menopause find natural hormone balancing solutions so they can rock their mojo through midlife and beyond. But her clients would tell you that her real gift is helping them reclaim pieces of themselves they thought were gone forever. Dr. Anna offers a complimentary 30-minute Get Acquainted Call to anyone who’d like to learn more about working 1-1 with her. THE PINK PILL: SEX, DRUGS & WHO HAS CONTROL is produced by Catalyst and Everywoman Studios, with Sphere Media providing production services and Sphere Abacus handling global distribution.

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Attempting to treat lack of sexual desire with a “pink pill” ignores the fact that a woman’s desire for sex is COMPLICATED. It’s deeply affected by everyday life erection tablets stress and relationships. There’s no pill on earth that can fix these things if they’re out of balance. Maybe a study should compare women who juggle all the day-to-day responsibilities of life with those who have a cleaning service, personal chef, and nanny. I’ll bet the ladies with the support team would be in the mood a lot more than those without.

Liver impairment

Low testosterone, body image, and self-esteem issues can also compound the problem. I realize that it will be up to each individual to decide what’s right for herself, and I completely respect that. If it feels right, go for it. I do have concerns, though, that women will feel pressured by their partners to try it or that they’ll feel like they now need to live up to some numerical standard that doesn’t match their natural desire. And as a health care provider, I worry that prescribers may not take the time to have an in-depth discussion about the dangers of mixing flibanserin with alcohol. Executive producers are Julie Bristow, Abby Greensfelder, Vibika Bianchi, Joanna Griffiths, and Aisling Chin-Yee. About Catalyst: Catalyst is a mission-driven, for-profit business dedicated to catalyzing the creation of commercially viable content for an underserved global market by powering women creators and investing in their ideas. Catalyst partners with women creators and producers to advance their projects from inception through to the full monetization of content. The company invests strategic, business, and creative power in the best ideas, with the aim of ensuring they are realized.