Menopausal hot flushes and night sweats were significantly reduced for women taking a non-hormonal pill from Bayer in a late-stage trial, researchers have reported, adding that the drug also appeared to reduce sleep disturbances.
Reuters reports that for the study, more than 600 postmenopausal women with troublesome vasomotor symptoms took either elinzanetant or a placebo daily for 52 weeks.
By week 12, elinzanetant recipients saw a more than 73% reduction in the frequency and severity of such events, compared with a 47% reduction in the placebo group, according to the findings, published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
By week 50, those in the elinzanetant group were experiencing an average of 1.4 moderate-to-severe hot flushes or night sweats per day, versus 3.5 such events per day in the placebo group.
Elinzanetant also seemed to reduce sleep disturbances and improve quality of life, but the study was not designed to fully assess those secondary benefits.
The drug had no harmful effects on the liver or bone density, the researchers determined.
Roughly 30% of women receiving elinzanetant and 15% of those in the placebo group reported treatment-related adverse events, such as headaches and sleepiness.
“This year-long study not only confirmed the initial findings of rapid and significant reduction in the frequency and severity of hot flushes and night sweats but also provided evidence that these effects were sustained over a year, offering hope for longer-term relief,” study leader Dr JoAnn Pinkerton of the University of Virginia.
“Elinzanetant is likely to be an important addition to the armamentarium of non-hormonal pharmacologic options for treatment of vasomotor symptoms,” said an editorial published with the study.
The treatment was approved in July for use in the UK and Canada, where it is marketed as Lynkuet. It is still under review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Reuters article – Health Rounds: New menopause pill eases hot flashes, night sweats (Open access)
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