‘Blockbuster’ new menopause drug that ‘eliminates hot flushes without HRT’ gets NHS green light

A “BLOCKBUSTER” new menopause drug that helps eliminate hot flushes has been approved in the UK.

Fezolinetant — sold as Veoza — was authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority.

The drug, hailed as “game changing” by experts, works directly on the brain to prevent the menopause symptom without the need for hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Its green light comes seven months after it was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and a week after it was authorised by the European Commission.

Julian Beach, of the MHRA, said: “Hot flushes and night sweats caused by menopause are common, and can have a significant impact on a woman’s daily life.

“We are therefore pleased to have authorised Veoza 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.”

Menopause is the natural change that occurs to women between the ages of 45 and 55 and causes levels of the hormone oestrogen to fluctuate and drop.

This can cause a range of symptoms, including tricking the body to think it is overheating — the dreaded hot flush, which affects 70 per cent of women going through the change.

Around 15 per cent women aged 45 to 64 in England are currently prescribed HRT for symptoms of the menopause.

Some women with a history of breast or ovarian cancer, blood clots or with untreated high blood pressure cannot take HRT, while others experience side-effects.

Fezolinetant, made by Astellas Pharma, helps reduce hot flushes by binding to and blocking the brain receptor neurokinin B, which is involved in temperature regulation.

It reduces the number of daily moderate or severe flushes by around 60 per cent, studies have shown.

Unlike HRT, it does not affect other symptoms of the menopause, like mood changes or vaginal dryness.

It’s going to be completely game changing for a lot of women

Professor Waljit Dhillo, of Imperial College London

Professor Waljit Dhillo, of Imperial College London, helped pave the way for the daily pill with a study that found targeting a part of the brain helps dial down the symptom.

Speaking earlier this year, he told : “This is going to be a completely blockbuster drug. It’s like a switch. 

“Within a day or two the flushes go away. It’s unbelievable how well these drugs work. It’s going to be completely game changing for a lot of women.”

The drug has been approved for women experiencing moderate to severe hot flushes with immediate effect for private patients.

It has not yet been recommended for the NHS to prescribe, with a review by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence expected next year.