A drug for treating hot flushes and night sweats during the menopause is now available on the NHS in England when HRT (hormone replacement therapy) isn’t suitable.<\/p>\n
The non-hormonal treatment, called Veoza, is a daily pill which blocks nerve pathways in the brain that trigger the symptoms.<\/p>\n
Menopausal hot flushes and night sweats can have a major impact on the quality of life of women in their 40s and 50s and affect their wellbeing, healthcare experts say.<\/p>\n
Around 500,000 women could benefit from the drug, particularly those who cannot use HRT because of underlying health conditions, whose options up until now have been limited.<\/p>\n
‘Much-needed relief’<\/p>\n
The menopause – and the years leading up to it – can affect women’s daily life in many different ways.<\/p>\n
Falling levels of oestrogen in the body have a knock-on effect on the brain, on periods, skin, muscles and emotions.<\/p>\n
Hot flushes and night sweats are some of the most common symptoms experienced. They can disturb sleep and concentration, while also affecting relationships and the ability to work.<\/p>\n
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is available to treat symptoms in the form of tablets, patches and gels – but there have been few non-hormonal options available to date.<\/p>\n
Veoza, also known as fezolinetant, is an important additional option, says Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE – the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence – which provides guidance on how to improve healthcare.<\/p>\n
“For those who are unable to take HRT for varying reasons, options have historically been limited, and we have heard clearly from patients how difficult that can be,” she said.<\/p>\n
“The evidence shows fezolinetant can meaningfully reduce symptoms, and was found to be cost effective, offering value for the taxpayer.<\/p>\n
“This decision will give much-needed relief to those for whom HRT is unsuitable.”<\/p>\n
The daily pill Veoza was approved in 2023<\/a> – but has only now been recommended for treating moderate to severe symptoms of menopausal hot flushes and night sweats on the NHS, by NICE.<\/a><\/p>\n The decision applies in England. Wales and Northern Ireland often follow the same NICE guidance, while Scotland has its own body that makes decisions on new drugs.<\/p>\n HRT is still the first-line treatment option, NICE says, because of its clear benefits and the range of different types available, and it’s thought most women will continue to take it.<\/p>\n Dr Sue Mann, national clinical director in women’s health for NHS England, said symptoms of menopause including hot flushes and night sweats “can affect every part of a women’s life”.<\/p>\n She said the news was “very welcome”, especially for women who are unable to take HRT or don’t want to take it.<\/p>\n Dr Mann said the drug could help hundreds of thousands of women experiencing menopause to manage their symptoms better and feel more in control of their health.<\/p>\n Veoza is not suitable for everyone, however.<\/p>\n NICE said the drug was not recommended for women with breast cancer, other oestrogen-dependent cancers or liver disease.<\/p>\n Women who have had breast cancer in the past and have finished their treatment may be able to take it, but it would depend on their individual situation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A drug for treating hot flushes and night sweats during the menopause is now available on the NHS…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":529243,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[49,48,84,100176,207807,2373,36717,186438,207808,31660],"class_list":["post-529242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-hormone-replacement-therapy","tag-hot-flushes","tag-menopause","tag-nhs-england","tag-nhs-in-england","tag-nice-guidance","tag-night-sweats"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/529242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=529242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/529242\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/529243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=529242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=529242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=529242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}