Menopause is a natural biological process that marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years and usually occurs in women between the ages of 45 and 55, although it can occur earlier or later where a common symptom associated with menopause is hot flashes, also known as menopause. Hot flushes. Hot flashes are sudden feelings of warmth, often accompanied by redness and sweating, that primarily affect the upper body.
They can range in intensity and duration, last from a few seconds to several minutes, and are associated with hormonal changes, particularly a decrease in estrogen levels, which can disrupt body temperature regulation. In some cases, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may be recommended by a healthcare professional to reduce symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes, but discuss the risks and benefits of HRT with your doctor to determine if this is right for you. It is important to discuss.
What is this fezolinetant drug?
Fortunately for some, on May 12 of this year the US Food and Drug Administration approved the oral drug Veozah (fezolinetant) for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms or hot flashes caused by menopause. The FDA claimed that Veozah is the first neurokinin 3 (NK3) receptor antagonist approved to treat moderate to severe hot flashes from menopause where it works by binding to and blocking the activities of the NK3 receptor, which plays a role in brain regulation. of body temperature.
Licensed in the US, the drug Phaseolinent could be approved for use in the UK by the end of the year. In an interview with 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, shared, “It’s absolutely going to be a blockbuster drug. It’s like a switch. In a day or two The flushes go away. It’s incredible how well these medications work. It’s going to be a complete game changer for a lot of women.”
He added, “Our grant is provided by the NIHR [the National Institute for Health and Care Research] and MRC [the Medical Research Council], within two years we could show a 73% reduction in hot flushes – this would not have happened without taxpayer funding of medical research. Since doing our study, we’ve written to women all over the world saying: ‘How can I get this medicine?’ There is a tendency that obesity kills, heart disease kills, diabetes kills, women’s health does not kill. We cannot remain in Western society and say that the problems of 51% of the population – if they do not kill them immediately – are not important.”
Professor Richard Anderson, co-director of the Center for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh, said: “It’s amazing how quickly these drugs work and how big of an effect they have. Usually, estrogen takes several weeks to take effect. With these, women are reporting effects from the first tablet.”
“I realized that the brain circuitry that controls hot flushes could be understood,” said American neuropathologist Professor Naomi Rance, who identified a special group of neurons that enlarge in the brains of menopausal women, adding to the list of leading doctors rooting for the drug. Useful for designing new treatments but I never imagined this would happen in my lifetime. I was thrilled to learn of the FDA approval, in part because it illustrates how basic science research can lead to clinical applications.”
Challenges of taking Fezolinetant:
While the drug is currently being evaluated by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), it is important to note that the prescribing information for Veozah includes a warning for elevated hepatic transaminases or liver injury. The FDA warned that before using Veozah, patients should have blood work to check for liver damage and while on Veozah, have regular blood work every three months for the first nine months of using the drug.
“Patients who experience symptoms associated with liver damage — such as nausea, vomiting, or yellowing of the skin and eyes — should contact a physician,” the FDA report said. Veozah cannot be used with CYP1A2 inhibitors. Patients with known cirrhosis, severe kidney damage or end-stage kidney disease should not take Veozah. The most common side effects of Veozah include abdominal pain, diarrhea, insomnia, back pain, hot flushes and elevated hepatic transaminases.