Menopause, Fezolinetant the new non-hormonal drug against hot flashes
How many women in menopause have experienced or are experiencing the daily discomfort of sudden hot flashes that limit daily activities and disturb night rest? More than 80% and of these 25% suffer them quite heavily enough to disturb day and night. now for them, and to fight the less scientific but more popular “hotheads”, an effective remedy was born. The FDA, the regulatory body for medicines in the United States, has approved the first non-hormonal drug for the treatment of hot flashes.
It is the Fezolinetant, of the pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma, and will be marketed as Veozah. There are currently products that prevent hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms but they are all hormonal. However, many women, especially those who have had oncological diseases (breast cancer) are off limits for these treatments. In fact, hormones can promote the growth of tumor processes.
Menopause, the action of Fezolinetant in stopping hot flashes
“The Lancet”, the prestigious medical journal, explained in a study how the new drug works. Fezolinetant is able to block the neurokinin-3 receptor, a fundamental key in communication with the brain for the regulation of the hypothalamus. The drop in estrogen is decoded as a drop in temperature and triggers a defense signal so that the blood vessels in the skin dilate (the hot flash).
Fezolinetant blocks this process. Antonio Cano, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Valencia and co-author of that study, stressed that “the frequency of symptoms is reduced by just over 50% compared to placebo. A figure slightly lower than that of hormonal treatments”. And this represents a valid alternative, especially for women with oncological history outdated or undergoing treatment.
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