A “game changing” drug that aims to prevent hot flushes has been approved for use in the UK.
Veoza, also known as fezolinetant, has been given the green light by the UK regulator, potentially benefitting millions of women.
It comes seven months after the drug was approved was approved for use in America by the US regulator, the Food and Drug Administration.
Hormonal changes during menopause make the body more sensitive to fluctuations in body temperature, causing so-called vasomotor symptoms, or hot flushes and night sweats.
Hot flushes affect around 70 per cent of women going through the menopause. Symptoms can last for months or years and can change with time.
Veoza's manufacturer, Astellas, has already begun the process of applying to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to enable women to access the drug on the NHS. It will be available privately from January 5.
A study published in March found that Veoza could reduce the frequency of hot flushes by around 60 per cent in women with moderate or severe symptoms, compared with 45 per cent who received a placebo.
Veoza, which is taken daily as a tablet, costs around £430 for a 30-day supply in the US.
Julian Beach, interim executive director of healthcare quality and access at the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), confirmed to the Guardian that Veoza had been authorised by the regulator.
He said: “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, he cautioned that Veoza would not be made available to women made over the age of 65 due to a lack of studies over its effectiveness in the age group.
Hormone replacement therapy is currently used for treating hot flushes but it can increase the risk of breast cancer and blood clots.
Professor Waljit Dhillo, an endocrinologist at Imperial College London who has led trials on Veoza, told the Guardian that it would be a “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 gamechanging for a lot of women.”
