Finally a Non Hormonal Medicine for Hot Flashes

On May 13, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved VEOZAH™ (fezolinetant) from Astellas for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms (aka hot flashes). It’s taken once daily as an oral pill.

This is BIG news!! Hot flashes are one of the most common — and, frankly, most annoying — menopause symptoms, so having more treatment options in our toolkit is worth celebrating.

Below, we break down what you need to know about this groundbreaking new treatment and what it could mean for you.

How is VEOZAH™ different from other treatment options for hot flashes?

In technical terms: this is the first non-hormonal neurokinin 3 (NK3) receptor antagonist approved to treat hot flashes.

What that means, in non-science speak: it works by binding to and blocking the activities of the NK3 receptor, which plays a role in the brain’s regulation of body temperature.

Tell me more about NK3

Before menopause, the body maintains a healthy balance of estrogen and NK3, which helps keep our temperature in check. But during menopause, estrogen levels drop and NK3 surges. The result? Hot flashes and night sweats.

VEOZAH™ helps the body restore healthy temperature regulation.

Soooo…anyone can take it?

Not quite. As with any medication, there are certain “contraindications” — or conditions/medications that preclude someone from taking the medication.

  • Cirrhosis, aka liver disease

  • Severe renal impairment or end-stage renal disease

  • Use with CYP1A2 inhibitors (a class of medications which includes ciprofloxacin, enoxacin, fluvoxamine(a), and cimetidine)

Important: before using VEOZAH™, patients should have bloodwork done to test for liver damage. And for the first nine months on the medication, routine bloodwork should be performed every three months.

How much will it cost me?

Because VEOZAH™ has just received FDA approval, it’s not yet covered by insurance (although Astellas expects it to be covered by most commercial health plans within the next six months).

With cash pay, it costs $550 for a 30-day supply…which isn’t cheap.

Talk to me about the side effects

Potential — but rare — side effects of VEOZAH™ are:

  • Abdominal pain

  • Diarrhea

  • Insomnia

  • Back pain

Tiffany McDermott