On December 28, 2006, BusinessWeek.com reported that German drug maker Boehringer Ingelheim may have found a treatment for women lacking sexual drive. The company originally set out to create a new antidepressant with a molecule called flibanserin. Although it proved to have no effect on mood during a clinical trial, many women partaking in the study reported a surge in libido.

According to the article, company researchers believe flibanserin, "hits several circuits in the brain that are linked to feelings and pleasure. One of those circuits apparently helps control sexual desire and arousal, although the effects are not immediate. 'This is not something that can be taken on a Friday for the weekend,' says Boehringer Ingelheim spokesman Mark R. Vincent. 'There is a gradual increase in sexual desire over a six- to eight-week period.'"

Boehringer Ingelheim is hoping to apply for FDA approval in 2009.