Menopause is a natural stage in life that usually affects women and people who have a uterus between the ages of 45 and 55. It occurs when hormone levels in the body lower to a point where periods stop.
However, it can also happen as a result of some surgeries such as a hysterectomy, as well as due to cancer treatments or for genetic reasons. But whatever the cause of menopause, a common symptom felt by sufferers are hot flushes.
Around 70 percent of people experiencing menopause are thought to have hot flushes. Out of nowhere they can cause the person to feel overwhelmingly hot, typically across the face, neck and chest.
This can have a detrimental effect on their quality of life as well as their productivity and ability to exercise and sleep. There are some treatments available to help ease menopause symptoms but these are not always safe and effective.
Hormone replacement therapy – or HRT – is the most commonly used treatment for menopause. However, it is not considered safe for everyone, including those with a history of breast or ovarian cancer, blood clots or with untreated high blood pressure.
But this is about to change after a “game changing” drug that prevents hot flushes has been approved for use in the UK.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has given the green light for use of Veoza, also known as fezolinetant, to tackle hot flushes and night sweats.
Their recommendation comes after the Food and Drug Administration, authorised it for use in the US in May this year.
Julian Beach, the interim executive director of healthcare quality and access at the MHRA, explained: “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 (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.”
However Veoza has not yet been studied for safety and efficacy in women over the age of 65, the MHRA said, so no dose recommendation has been made for this age group.
It has also not yet been recommended for the NHS to prescribe.
This will be made possible following a review by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which is expected next year.
Unlike HRT, Veoza is a non-hormonal drug. It works by blocking a brain protein called that regulates body temperature in menopausal women.
Speaking to The Guardian, Professor Waljit Dhillo – an endocrinologist at Imperial College London who led a pioneering trial in 2017 that paved the way for the drug’s development – said: “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 approval comes following the publication of a large clinical trial in March this year.
This found that after 12 weeks of use it reduced the frequency of hot flushes by about 60 percent in women with moderate or severe symptoms, compared with a 45 percent reduction in those who received a placebo.
Participants also said that the drug reduced the severity of hot flushes and improved the quality of their sleep.
Menopause campaigner, Diane Danzebrink, added: “The decision is particularly important for those who’ve felt overlooked in the past in terms of treatment options, or those who prefer not to use HRT.”