Phase 1b/2a Unblinded Study of Responses in Premenopausal Women With HSDD to Lorexys Evaluating Efficacy and Safety

Women are diagnosed with Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) if they experience chronic loss of desire for sex together with significant distress or interpersonal difficulties due to this lack of desire. HSDD can have a serious effect on emotional well-being and interpersonal relationships. There are no U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments for HSDD. Off-label treatments include testosterone, which is not always effective and can be accompanied by side effects such as excess hair growth, acne, and decreases in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. Research in laboratory animals and clinical observations in humans suggest that re-balancing chemical messengers in the brain may stimulate sexual desire. S1 Biopharma's Lorexys® is a novel use fixed-dose combination (FDC) in an oral pill. Lorexys® combines two agents intended to restore balance to the brain's centers that control sexual function. Such effects are hoped to help women with HSDD. The compound is Phase 2-ready without prior trials (Phase I safety studies) because the two agents have often been used together; individually, they are FDA-approved for treating other disorders (depression, for example), and in a large US survey, the two were taken together in about 23% of patients who were prescribed one of the two agents. This research study requires subjects to take three different study medications for four weeks each, with at least a one-week "wash-out" period after each, and to report on rating scales how they feel. The medication is open-label (the subjects can see which medication they are receiving). That should not interfere with the evaluations or cause a big "placebo effect" because only a low proportion of women with HSDD have responded to a placebo in prior research studies of other compounds when using the same measures of efficacy. Participation lasts 16 weeks, with 8 clinic visits. A weekly, but no daily, self-rating is required between visits.