Viagra turns pink: Groundbreaking cream promises

For nearly three decades, Viagra has helped men cope with difficult situations.

The little blue pill increases blood flow to the penis, making it easier to get and keep an erection.

But until now, women have been left out in the cold, with no real medicine for low libido. Viagra’s secret formula has been redesigned to boost women’s libido in a sexy way.

Daré Bioscience on Wednesday launched Dare to Play, a first-of-its-kind prescription cream designed to enhance blood flow to female genital tissue.

This topical treatment contains sildenafil, the same active ingredient in Viagra, and is filling a long-neglected need. Sabrina Martucci Johnson, president and CEO of Daré Bioscience, said research shows that women are just as susceptible to sexual dysfunction as men and can be treated through similar drug mechanisms.

“We have scientific evidence that sildenafil, as an active ingredient, works as long as it’s specifically designed and formulated for women, and that’s where we really look at it,” Johnson told The Washington Post.

Research shows that more than 40% of women experience some form of sexual dysfunction, with a common symptom being difficulty with sexual arousal.

The problem – formally known as female sexual interest/arousal disorder (FSIAD) – can be caused by several issues, including hormonal changes caused by pregnancy or menopause, stress, drug use, diabetes, depression and even past sexual abuse.

To combat FSIAD, women can try psychotherapy, stress-reduction techniques, or the drug flibanserin, which increases libido by balancing the brain chemicals serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.

Dare to Play targets the physical symptoms of FSIAD, rather than the mental symptoms, by helping blood vessels in the clitoris and vulva relax and open, increasing genital blood flow and improving lubrication and swelling responses.

“Blood flow to the genital tissues can cause tingling, warmth, and swelling,” Johnson explains. “This is actually what causes the lubrication response during sexual arousal in women because it’s all mediated by blood flow to the tissues.”

Dare to Play has been years in the making. Johnson said early research suggests sildenafil may help women with sexual dysfunction the same way Viagra helps men.

But female birth control pills require large amounts of sildenafil, much higher doses than men require, making this option “impractical,” she added.

Daré Bioscience spent about a decade developing a fast-absorbing product that meets women’s needs quickly, easily, and safely—no hassle, no fuss.

Dare to Play is said to be effective after 10 to 15 minutes of application to the genital area.

In clinical trials, Dare Bioscience found Dare to Play improved sexual arousal, desire and orgasm with no side effects compared to placebo cream. It was even tested in oral sex situations.

Common Viagra side effects are usually mild and temporary and often include headache, flushing, indigestion, vision problems, and nasal congestion.

“You really don’t see any side effects of sildenafil like you do with Viagra because of the way we deliver the product locally where she needs it, so you don’t get systemic exposure,” Johnson said.

But like Viagra, “Dare to Try” isn’t for everyone. Women with heart disease or an active herpes outbreak should avoid use.

The good news is that you don’t need a formal FSIAD diagnosis to get a prescription from your doctor.

Daré Bioscience is working with telemedicine providers through its dispensing pharmacy Medvantx, which can script the drug for women with any sexual arousal difficulties.

Dare to Play has a shelf life of four years and is manufactured as a compounded drug in an FDA-registered 503B outsourced facility.

Reservations are now available for residents of Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Utah. Dispensing is expected to be available in all U.S. states by early 2026.

Daré Bioscience is also seeking full FDA approval.

“Last summer, our data [was] Information about the studies that had been done was published and we started getting huge requests from women and health care providers for the formula,” Johnson said.

“As a company, we were able to find a dual-path approach to really meet that need and meet the needs of women,” she continued.

“We can offer the product as a compounded product, but in a specific type of facility that follows FDA inspections and FDA manufacturing practices, and make it available to prescriptions immediately while we continue to work with the FDA.”

Daré Bioscience is working with the FDA to plan a Phase 3 study – a 12-week, double-blind trial comparing Dare to Play to a placebo cream.

Johnson noted that Viagra has been FDA-approved since 1998, but no equivalent product has yet been approved for women—even though their struggles are just as real.

Johnson said products claiming to increase women’s sexual desire “really rely heavily on marketing language, consumer reviews, lifestyle brands and no real evidence”.

“This is a long overdue corrective to a system that has truly neglected women’s sexual health, and we hope to validate this experience by putting science where marketing once dominated,” she said of Dare to Play.

“Women deserve clinically researched, clinical solutions.”