Drug that alleviates menopause hot flushes approved for use in UK

A drug that can alleviate the hot flushes experienced by many women going through menopause has been approved for use in the UK.

The drug Veoza, also known as fezolinetant, has been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) after receiving similar approval in the US back in May.

Menopausal hot flushes are experienced by up to 80% of women going through menopause, and can vary from a few seconds of feeling overheated to significant sweating and discomfort that can disrupt sleep or affect their ability to work, especially for women working in thermal environments.

Veoza works by blocking a protein in the brain called neurokinin-3, which plays an important role in regulating body temperature in menopausal women.

However, it will not help with some of the wider symptoms associated with menopause, such as fatigue, mood swings, or muscle weakness.

“Hot flushes and night sweats caused by menopause are common, and can have a significant impact on a woman’s daily life,” said Julian Beach, the interim executive director of healthcare quality and access at the MHRA.

“We are therefore pleased to have authorised Veoza (fezolinetant) for hot flushes and night sweats caused by menopause via our reliance procedure.

“No medicine would be approved unless it met our expected standards of safety, quality and effectiveness, and we continue to keep the safety of all medicines under close review.”

The drug could in time become an alternative to hormone replacement therapy treatment for menopause. However, as yet, it will only be available privately rather than through the NHS.

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According to The Guardian, the drug’s manufacturer, Astellas, has begun the process of applying to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to enable women to access the treatment on the NHS.