The 'pinking' of Viagra culture: drug industry efforts to create and repackage sex drugs for women.

Hartley, Heather

doi:10.1177/1363460706065058

Cited by 51Sexual function and dysfunction studiesPharmaceutical industry and healthcareGender and Feminist Studies

The 'pinking' of Viagra culture: drug industry efforts to create and repackage sex drugs for women.

Hartley, Heather·2006·Sexualities

DOI 10.1177/1363460706065058

Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

This essay will describe how the success of Viagra stimulated drug companies to create a women's sexual condition comparable to erectile problems in men for which they could market new sex drugs to women. The heart of the article focuses on two interrelated aspects of Viagra culture playing out in drug industry efforts to create and expand a market for sex drugs for women: (1) the industry's ‘Hunt for the Pink Viagra’ to treat the ‘disease’ of female sexual dysfunction (FSD), and (2) the prescription and promotion of off-label uses of men's sex drugs to women. In order to contextualize these two trends, the article outlines key activities and actions that have enabled the drug industry to consolidate power and build capacity in this area, including: mass dissemination of estimates of disease prevalence; the institutionalization of FSD in academic circles, which includes strategic revision of disease definitions as well as the creation of a legitimized infrastructure for dissemination of supporting research and education; and public-relations stimulated mainstream media coverage. The article concludes with a consideration of the ongoing challenges to the medicalization of women's sexuality as well as to harmful corporate practices more broadly.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1177/1363460706065058

Cites

34 of 34 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Drug treatments for women's sexual complaints have been largely unsuccessful because women's sexuality relies more on psychological than physiological factors.
“Treatments of female sexual dysfunction have been largely unsuccessful because they do not address the psychological factors that underlie female sexuality.”
From Effects of Mindfulness Training on Body Awareness to Sexual Stimuli: Implications for Female Sexual Dysfunction (2011) · cites this paper as [2]
Nearly $2 billion are spent each year on the often-ineffective treatment of women's sexual complaints.
“Although female sexual dysfunction is much less apparent in the media, nearly $2 billion are spent each year on the often-ineffective treatment of women’s sexual complaints (2).”
From Effects of Mindfulness Training on Body Awareness to Sexual Stimuli: Implications for Female Sexual Dysfunction (2011) · cites this paper as [2]

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Williams, J. B. W., & First, M. B. (2013) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.104 · Cited by 109,841 · see citing works
Sexual Dysfunction in the United States: Prevalence and Predictors
Laumann, E. O., Paik, A., & Rosen, R. C. (1999) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.281.6.537 · Cited by 5,119 · see citing works
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Raber, G., & Spokas, M. (2024) · doi:10.4135/9781071886229.n145 · Cited by 2,806 · see citing works
REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONSENSUS DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE ON FEMALE SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION: DEFINITIONS AND CLASSIFICATIONS
Basson, R. J., Berman, J. R., Burnett, A. L. “., Derogatis, L. R., FERGUSON, D., Fourcroy, J. L., Goldstein, I., Graziottin, A., Heiman, J. R., Laan, E. T. M., et al. (2000) · The Journal of Urology · doi:10.1016/s0022-5347(05)67828-7 · Cited by 1,256 · see citing works
Journal of Health and Social Behavior
(1992) · Bioethics · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8519.1992.tb00218.x · Cited by 1,114 · see citing works
Distress about sex: a national survey of women in heterosexual relationships.
Bancroft, J., Loftus, J., & Long, J. S. (2003) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1023/a:1023420431760 · Cited by 774 · see citing works
Uneasy alliance—clinical investigators and the pharmaceutical industry
Bodenheimer, T. (2000) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejm200005183422024 · Cited by 765 · see citing works
Medical Aspects of Human Sexuality
Taylor, R. W. (1975) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.4.5994.472-a · Cited by 545 · see citing works
Circulating Androgen Levels and Self-reported Sexual Function in Women
Davis, S. R. (2005) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.294.1.91 · Cited by 510 · see citing works
The Truth About the Drug Companies
Angell, M. E. (2004) · Cited by 439 · see citing works
Is academic medicine for sale?
Angell, M. (2000) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejm200005183422009 · Cited by 377 · see citing works
Medicalization, markets and consumers.
Conrad, P., & Leiter, V. (2004) · PubMed · Cited by 331 · see citing works
The making of a disease: female sexual dysfunction
Moynihan, R. N. (2003) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.326.7379.45 · Cited by 324 · see citing works
The marketing of a disease: female sexual dysfunction
Moynihan, R. N. (2005) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7484.192 · Cited by 321 · see citing works
The rise of Viagra: how the little blue pill changed sex in America
Loe, M. 1. (2005) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.42-3460 · Cited by 217 · see citing works
On the Take: How Medicine’s Complicity with Big Business Can Endanger your Health
Rolla, V. C., & de Oliveira, M. S. (2008) · Americanae (AECID Library) · doi:10.3395/reciis.v2i2.859 · Cited by 204 · see citing works
Separating Continuing Medical Education From Pharmaceutical Marketing
Relman, A. S. (2001) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.285.15.2009 · Cited by 180 · see citing works
The Pharmaceutical Industry — To Whom is It Accountable?
Angell, M. E. (2000) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejm200006223422509 · Cited by 166 · see citing works
The role of testosterone therapy in postmenopausal women: position statement of The North American Menopause Society
(2005) · Menopause The Journal of The North American Menopause Society · doi:10.1097/01.gme.0000177709.65944.b0 · Cited by 160 · see citing works
Manufacturing Desire: The Commodification of Female Sexual Dysfunction
Fishman, J. R. (2004) · Social Studies of Science · doi:10.1177/0306312704043028 · Cited by 152 · see citing works
On the Take
Kassirer, J. P. (2005) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195300048.001.0001 · Cited by 149 · see citing works
The Medicalization of Female Sexual Dysfunction: The Need for Caution
Bancroft, J. (2002) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1023/a:1019800426980 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine
Abramson, J. D. (2004) · Cited by 127 · see citing works
Disease-Mongers: How Doctors, Drug Companies, and Insurers Are Making You Feel Sick
Kilwein, J. H. (1993) · American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy · doi:10.1093/ajhp/50.7.1506 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
Public Health Advocacy to Change Corporate Practices: Implications for Health Education Practice and Research
Freudenberg, N. (2005) · Health Education & Behavior · doi:10.1177/1090198105275044 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Sexology and the pharmaceutical industry: The threat of co‐optation
Tiefer, L. (2000) · The Journal of Sex Research · doi:10.1080/00224490009552048 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
A New View of Women’s Sexual Problems
Tiefer, L., & Tavris, C. (2002) · Psychology of Women Section Review · doi:10.53841/bpspow.2002.4.1.25 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
The Rise of Viagra: How the Little Blue Pill Changed Sex in America
Moynihan, R. (2005) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7488.424 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
The "Consensus" Conference on Female Sexual Dysfunction: Conflicts of Interest and Hidden Agendas
Tiefer, L. (2001) · Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy · doi:10.1080/00926230152052049 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Taking a Biological Turn: The Push for a "Female Viagra" and the Medicalization of Women's Sexual Problems
Hartley, H., & Tiefer, L. (2003) · Women's studies quarterly · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Let's Talk About Sex--and Drugs
Enserink, M. (2005) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.308.5728.1578 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
“BIG PHARMA” IN OUR BEDROOMS: AN ANALYSIS OF THE MEDICALIZATION OF WOMEN’S SEXUAL PROBLEMS
Hartley, H. (2003) · Advances in gender research · doi:10.1016/s1529-2126(03)07004-8 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Promising Liberation but Delivering Business as Usual?
Hartley, H. (2002) · Sexualities · doi:10.1177/1363460702005001006 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Company launches campaign to “counter” BMJ claims
Moynihan, R. (2003) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.326.7381.120/a · Cited by 4 · see citing works

Flagged first, then by citations

Sorted by citations

The Social Construction of Illness: Key Insights and Policy Implications
Conrad, P., & Barker, K. K. (2010) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.1177/0022146510383495 · Cited by 888 · see citing works
The Internet’s impact on sexuality: A critical review of 15 years of research
Döring, N. M. (2009) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2009.04.003 · Cited by 488 · see citing works
Fluid Drugs: Revisiting the Anthropology of Pharmaceuticals
Hardon, A. P., & Sanabria, E. (2017) · Annual Review of Anthropology · doi:10.1146/annurev-anthro-102116-041539 · Cited by 174 · see citing works
Effects of Mindfulness Training on Body Awareness to Sexual Stimuli: Implications for Female Sexual Dysfunction
Silverstein, R. G., Brown, A.-C. H., Roth, H. D., & Britton, W. B. (2011) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/psy.0b013e318234e628 · Cited by 168 · see citing works
“Physiologically based treatments (Viagra) only heighten this discordance: the level of physiological arousal is irrelevant if psychological barriers are not addressed (8).”
BackgroundInfluential
Sexual Desire Discrepancy as a Feature, Not a Bug, of Long-Term Relationships: Women's Self-Reported Strategies for Modulating Sexual Desire
Herbenick, D., Mullinax, M., & Mark, K. P. (2014) · The Journal of Sexual Medicine · doi:10.1111/jsm.12625 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Making Sense in and of the Asexual Community: Navigating Relationships and Identities in a Context of Resistance
Chasin, C. D. (2014) · Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/casp.2203 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Sex in Context: Limitations of Animal Studies for Addressing Human Sex/Gender Neurobehavioral Health Disparities
Eliot, L., & Richardson, S. S. (2016) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.1391-16.2016 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
History of the Treatment of Female Sexual Dysfunction(s)
Kleinplatz, P. J. (2018) · Annual Review of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050817-084802 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Sexual improvement as if your health depends on it: An analysis of contemporary sex manuals
Gupta, K., & Cacchioni, T. (2013) · Feminism & Psychology · doi:10.1177/0959353513498070 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Sexuality Counseling: A Professional Specialization Comes of Age
Southern, S., & Cade, R. (2011) · The Family Journal · doi:10.1177/1066480711408028 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Diferenças de gênero e medicalização da sexualidade na criação do diagnóstico das disfunções sexuais
Rohden, F. (2009) · Revista Estudos Feministas · doi:10.1590/s0104-026x2009000100006 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Protecting Sexual Diversity: Rethinking the Use of Neurotechnological Interventions to Alter Sexuality
Gupta, K. (2012) · AJOB Neuroscience · doi:10.1080/21507740.2012.694391 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
How did erectile dysfunction become “Natural”? A review of the critical social scientific literature on medical treatment for male sexual dysfunction
Wentzell, E. (2017) · The Journal of Sex Research · doi:10.1080/00224499.2016.1259386 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
The Perils and Pleasures of Aging: How Women’s Sexualities Change across the Life Course
Miller, L. R. (2018) · Sociological Quarterly · doi:10.1080/00380253.2018.1526052 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Sex for seniors: how physicians discuss older adult’s sexuality
Gewirtz‐Meydan, A., Levkovich, I., Mock, M., Gur, U., Karkabi, K., & Ayalon, L. (2020) · Israel Journal of Health Policy Research · doi:10.1186/s13584-020-00366-5 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Sex and Love Among Older Adults in the Digital World: A Scoping Review
Gewirtz‐Meydan, A., Opuda, E., & Ayalon, L. (2022) · The Gerontologist · doi:10.1093/geront/gnac093 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Contested psychiatric ontology and feminist critique
Angel, K. (2012) · History of the Human Sciences · doi:10.1177/0952695112456949 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Factors shaping women's sexual satisfaction: a comparison of medical and social models
Pronier, C., & Monk‐Turner, E. (2013) · Journal of Gender Studies · doi:10.1080/09589236.2012.752347 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Promoting a discussion on later life sexuality: Lessons from sexologist physicians
Gewirtz-Meydan, A., Levkovich, I., Mock, M., Gur, U., & Ayalon, L. (2019) · Sexual & Relationship Therapy · doi:10.1080/14681994.2018.1437258 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Ethno-survey of traditional use of plants as aphrodisiacs in Kashmir Himalaya, India
Ganie, A. H., Tali, B. A., Shapoo, G. A., Nawchoo, I. A., & Khuroo, A. A. (2019) · Journal of Herbal Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.hermed.2019.100256 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Chemical Youth
Hardon, A. P. (2020) · Critical studies in risk and uncertainty · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-57081-1 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Treating desires not diseases: a pill for every ill and an ill for every pill?
Triggle, D. J. (2007) · Drug Discovery Today · doi:10.1016/j.drudis.2006.12.001 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Potency, Hubris and Susceptibility: The Disease Mongering Critique of Pharmaceutical Marketing
Doran, E., & Hogue, C. (2014) · The Qualitative Report · doi:10.46743/2160-3715/2014.1001 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Dating and sexualities across the life course: The interactive effects of aging and gender
Miller, L. R., Garcia, J. R., & Gesselman, A. N. (2021) · Journal of Aging Studies · doi:10.1016/j.jaging.2021.100921 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
The Medicalization of Sexual Deviance, Reproduction, and Functioning
Cacchioni, T. (2015) · Handbooks of sociology and social research · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-17341-2_24 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Femininities
Windsor, E. J. (2015) · International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/b978-0-08-097086-8.35015-2 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
The Second Sexual Revolution: Big Pharma, Porn and the Biopolitical Penis
Maddison, S. (2010) · TOPIA Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies · doi:10.3138/topia.22.35 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV in Brazil: hopes and moral panic in the social construction of a biomedical technology
Brigeiro, M., & Monteiro, S. (2022) · Culture Health & Sexuality · doi:10.1080/13691058.2022.2121423 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Intimate tablets: digital advocacy and post-feminist pharmaceuticals
Flore, J. (2017) · Feminist Media Studies · doi:10.1080/14680777.2017.1393834 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Minding the body, sexing the brain: Hormonal truth and the post-feminist hermeneutics of adolescence
Pinto, P., Nogueira, C., & de Oliveira, J. M. (2012) · Feminist Theory · doi:10.1177/1464700112456006 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
SEXUAL DESIRE, TESTOSTERONE AND BIOMEDICAL INTERVENTIONS: MANAGING FEMALE SEXUALITY IN “ETHICAL DOSES”
Rohden, F. (2017) · Vibrant Virtual Brazilian Anthropology · doi:10.1590/1809-43412017v14n3p022 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Empowered, Handmaid, or Rejector? The Framing of Low Libido in Women according to Scholarly Investigations of Public Communication
Dan, V., & Pauer, C. (2021) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2021.1971356 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Debates feministas sobre pornografia heteronormativa: estéticas e ideologias da sexualização = Feminist debates on heteronormative pornography: aesthetics and ideologies of sexualization
Pinto, P., Nogueira, M. D. C., & de Oliveira, J. M. (2010) · Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) · doi:10.1590/s0102-79722010000200020 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
A construção social da doença: insights-chave e implicações para políticas de saúde
Barker, P. C. E. K. K. (2011) · Idéias · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Asexuality and the feminist politics of ‘not doing it’
Przybylo, E. (2011) · ERA: Education and Research Archive (University of Alberta) · doi:10.7939/r3rb04 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Gender differences and the medicalization of sexuality in the creation of sexual dysfunctions diagnosis
Rohden, F. (2010) · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Cited by 2 · see citing works
What Is the Problem With Sexual Intimacy Following Intimate Partner Violence in the DSM -5?
Buller, A., Epstein, S., & Hosken, N. (2021) · Violence Against Women · doi:10.1177/1077801221998761 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Drogas fluidas: revisitando a antropologia dos fármacos
de Rose, I. S., Hardon, A. P., & Sanabria, E. (2023) · Ilha Revista de Antropologia · doi:10.5007/2175-8034.2023.e91717 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
The Commercial Culture of Medicine
James, J. E. (2015) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-802812-4.00007-2 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
The Sexual Self and Social Work and Policy, or, Why Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Programmes miss the Point
Dunk‐West, P. (2012) · Social work & society
Book Review: Why it's Interesting Why Women Have Sex
Smith, J., & Lynn, C. D. (2010) · Evolutionary Psychology · doi:10.1177/147470491000800210
Diferenças de gênero e Diferenças de gênero e Diferenças de gênero e Diferenças de gênero e Diferenças de gênero e medicalização da sexualidade
Rohden, F. (2009)
Female Sexual Function During Male Sexual Dysfunction and Vice Versa
Bertozzi, M. A., & Ales, V. (2017) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-41716-5_13
Sexually “Broken”: The Rhetorical Production of The Distressed Nonsexual in The Flibanserin Debate & Beyond
Thompson, H. H. (2019) · Syracuse University Libraries (Syracuse University)
FARMACOLOGIZAÇÃO DA SEXUALIDADE E DIREITOS SEXUAIS
Russo, J. (2013) · Revista Brasileira de Sexualidade Humana · doi:10.35919/rbsh.v24i2.176
Introduction
Hardon, A. P. (2020) · Critical studies in risk and uncertainty · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-57081-1_1
Sex therapy
Rokach, A., & Patel, K. (2021) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-819174-3.00008-5
Erectile Dysfunction
DePalma, R. G. (2010) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-1-4160-5223-4.00080-9
Primary care use of testosterone therapy to benefit women experiencing distress related to decreased sexual desire after surgical menopause
Rawnsley, D. (2019) · doi:10.24124/2019/58939
Sexuopharmaceuticals
Cacchioni, T. (2015) · The International Encyclopedia of Human Sexuality · doi:10.1002/9781118896877.wbiehs482

Authors: Hartley, H.
Affiliations: Portland State University (US)
Corresponding author: Hartley, Heather
Venue: Sexualities
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Published: 2006-07
Volume: 9
Issue: 3
Pages: 363-378
ISSN: 1363-4607 (ISSN-L)
1461-7382
DOI: 10.1177/1363460706065058
OpenAlex: W1965223920
Cited by: 51
References: 34
Citations by year: 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 4
FWCI: 0.85
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations: Sexualities (publishedVersion)
Topics: Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Sexual function and dysfunction studies
Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmacology › Pharmaceutical industry and healthcare
Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender and Feminist Studies
Keywords: sildenafil, female sexual dysfunction, off-label drug use, organizational practices, pharmaceutical industry

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

The 'pinking' of Viagra culture: drug industry efforts to create and repackage sex drugs for women.

Abstract

Integrity signals

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Cites

Cited by

Related

Record

About these checks