New treatment for vasomotor symptoms licensed by UK's MHRA

Hot on the heels of approval from the European regulator, the UK subsidiary of Japan’s Astellas Pharma (TYO: 4503) today announced the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has licensed Veoza (fezolinetant) 45mg once daily for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms (VMS – also known as hot flushes and night sweats) associated with menopause.

Fezolinetant is the first of a new class of treatments, neurokinin-3 (NK3) receptor antagonists, to be licensed in Great Britain. The non-hormonal mechanism of action targets the neurological cause of VMS in the hypothalamus and represents a breakthrough in an area that has seen limited advances in many years. It was also approved in the USA in May this year under the trade name Veozah.

Astellas UK medical director, Dr Timir Patel, noted: “The authorization is testament to the scientific community who have been directly and indirectly involved in developing a targeted way of reducing VMS symptoms.”