{"id":329147,"date":"2026-03-14T09:37:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T09:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/329147\/"},"modified":"2026-03-14T09:37:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T09:37:14","slug":"nhs-approves-new-non-hormonal-menopause-drug-to-treat-hot-flushes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/329147\/","title":{"rendered":"NHS approves new non-hormonal menopause drug to treat hot flushes"},"content":{"rendered":"

A groundbreaking non-hormonal medication for menopausal symptoms has been given the green light for NHS use in England today.<\/p>\n

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved Veoza, also known as fezolinetant, on Wednesday, opening up a much-needed treatment pathway for women struggling with hot flushes and night sweats.<\/p>\n

It’s promising news for the estimated 500,000 women across England who can’t take hormone replacement therapy for various medical reasons.<\/p>\n

The drug, manufactured by Astellas Pharma, offers a genuine alternative for those who’ve had limited options until now.<\/p>\n

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An estimated half a million women across England can’t take hormone replacement therapy for medical reasons<\/p>\n

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GETTY<\/p>\n

Hot flushes hit around 70 per cent of women going through menopause, causing sudden waves of intense heat that can disrupt everything from sleep to work productivity and exercise routines.<\/p>\n

For decades, HRT has been the go-to treatment and remains the most effective option available, but it’s not suitable for everyone.<\/p>\n

Women with a history of breast or ovarian cancer, those who’ve experienced blood clots, or anyone with untreated high blood pressure often can’t safely use hormonal treatments.<\/p>\n

Others find the side effects difficult to manage, while some simply prefer a non-hormonal approach to tackling their symptoms.<\/p>\n

The treatment comes as a once-daily 45mg tablet that targets the root cause of symptoms in a clever way.<\/p>\n

It works by blocking the nerve pathways in the brain responsible for triggering those dreaded hot flushes and night sweats.<\/p>\n

Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at Nice, said: “We know that menopausal hot flushes and night sweats can have a profound impact on quality of life and significantly affect overall wellbeing.<\/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.<\/p>\n

“The evidence shows fezolinetant can meaningfully reduce symptoms, and was found to be cost-effective, offering value for the taxpayer.”<\/p>\n

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Hot flushes hit around 70 per cent of women going through menopause<\/p>\n

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GETTY<\/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 woman’s life, so this is very welcome news, especially for women who are unable to or don’t wish to take hormone replacement therapy.<\/p>\n

“It’s another vital treatment option, which could help hundreds of thousands of women experiencing menopause to better manage their symptoms and feel more in control of their health.”<\/p>\n

This approval marks a significant moment for women’s healthcare, giving those who’ve struggled without suitable options a real chance to reclaim their quality of life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A groundbreaking non-hormonal medication for menopausal symptoms has been given the green light for NHS use in England…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":329148,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[134,527,111,43,139,69,51066],"class_list":{"0":"post-329147","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-healthcare","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-newzealand","13":"tag-nz","14":"tag-sgg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=329147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329147\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/329148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=329147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=329147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=329147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}