The Race for the Next Great Sex Drug is on in PHARMA SUTRA, the CTV Documentary to be aired Saturday, December 6 at 7pm EST.The compelling one-hour documentary takes an in-depth look at the debate surrounding the multi-billion dollar race to approve the first female sex drug.

Toronto, ON (November 13, 2008) ? Ten years after the introduction of Viagra, pharmaceutical companies are on the verge of introducing a new sex drug for women. But is ?female sexual dysfunction? a reality ? or a brilliant marketing ploy? In the new CTV Original Documentary, PHARMA SUTRA, Toronto filmmakers Marion Gruner and Robin Benger follow the multi-billion dollar race to produce the next ?female Viagra.? Airing Saturday, December 6 at 7 p.m. ET on CTV (visit CTV.ca to confirm local listings), meet the doctors, critics, pharmaceutical reps and, of course the women, who debate the merit of treating low libido.

In 1999, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a report that stated that 43% of women suffered from Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD). Some critics opposed the notion of labelling a woman?s sexual problems as a ?disease,? viewing it as another ploy by the drug companies to profit off of a ?cure.? Others believed that sexual dysfunction is a genuine concern for millions of women and that medical intervention can help.

With FSD identified, the pharmaceutical companies have poured billions of dollars into research to come up with the winning formula that will allow women to attain sexual satisfaction. In the running for FDA approval are a nasal spray, a skin patch and a daily pill, each formulated to supercharge women?s sex drives. While the pharmaceutical companies behind these drugs attempt to get approval, some women would give anything to boost their libido.

PHARMA SUTRA follows a trio of women considering taking these drugs: a 50-year-old empty nester, a grandma battling a depleted libido who’s looking to maintain her youth and a mother in her 40s looking to revive her marriage.

With these new sex drugs on the horizon, PHARMA SUTRA looks at the forces surrounding this hot-button issue, including the controversy surrounding FSD, women with genuine libido concerns, doctors supporting the need for these products, the pharmaceutical companies spending millions on the competing drugs and the increasing problem with unauthorized labs producing female libido boosters and selling them on the Internet.

PHARMA SUTRA is written and directed by Marion Gruner and Robin Benger, and was produced and developed by Cogent/Benger Productions in association with CTV Inc. Bob Culbert is Vice-President of CTV Documentaries. Robert Hurst is President of CTV News and Current Affairs. Susanne Boyce is President, Content, Creative and Channels, CTV Inc.

For more information, contact:
Beth Lockley, Publicist, CTV Inc., 416.332.4583 or blockley@ctv.ca
Cynthia Amsden, Cogent/Benger Publicist, 416.910.7740 or roundstone@gmail.com