An FDA advisory panel has at long last approved a drug designed to combat a lack of sexual desire in women. By a vote of 18-6, the FDA finally took strides in fostering gender equality in the bedroom by approving the female counterpart to Viagra, a drug that has been available for a long time that aids erectile dysfunction and low libido in men.

The vote was the third time the panel has considered the drug – flibanserin – for approval. Two prior decisions were made to not approve it with the panel claiming that they had worries about the potential large number of side effects and that for female sexuality, a drug designed to induce the physical aspects of desire simply wasn’t enough.

CNN highlighted a study undertaken in 2002 hypothesising that up to a third of adult women in the US may suffer from female hypoactive sexual desire disorder; in layman’s terms a pronounced lack of sexual desire or libido. With that in mind, the focus of flibanserin is on the body’s central nervous system and acts similarly to an anti-depressant, as opposed to concentrating solely on the physical a la Viagra.

The vote for approval comes after a lengthy campaign – run under the banner of Even The Score – lobbied Congress on the total lack of parity afforded to women and their sexual needs by government. An online petition that garnered over 40,000 signatures decreed that “in 2015, gender equality should be the standard when it comes to access to treatments for sexual dysfunction.”

According to the New York Times the drug could be approved by Aug. 18, the F.D.A.’s deadline for making a decision. The agency usually follows the advice of its advisory committees. But Thursday’s vote was closer than the numbers indicate and the certainty of full approval, trialling and release could be in doubt. Several committee members said they voted “yes” with great misgivings because of the drug’s modest benefit and possible side effects.

Failure to fully approve a ‘female Viagra’ either now or in the future my lead to problems for individuals and a rise in black market sales of low quality products. Many people await the FDA’s next move.