A drug that made for a lousy antidepressent instead succeeds wildly as a sex stimulant for women.

A University of North Carolina researcher presented his discovery about a drug called Flibanserin to a European conference on sexual medicine.

John Thorp said Flibanserin failed repeated trials as an antidepressent but some users noted it lifted their libidos.

In subsequent trials, two-thousand women who suffered from lower sex drive were asked to take 100 milligrams a day.

The women reported big improvements in both their sex drive and enjoyment.

Thorp called it "essentially a Viagra-like drug for women," and the nickname "Viagra for women" is already catching on.

Viagra, a popular treatment for erectile dysfunction, also had a false start while under development.

It failed in early studies as a treatment for heart disease.

　

(Copyright 2009 by VERTEXNews/Newsroom Solutions)