Women in England with uterine fibroids to be offered new one-a-day treatment

Around 4,500 women in England with uterine fibroids will be eligible for a new oral treatment after the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended relugolix with estradiol and norethisterone acetate, trade name Ryeqo and to be marketed by Hungarian drugmaker Gedeon Richter (RICHT: HB).

Treatment options for symptoms of uterine fibroids, include hormonal contraception and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). But for treating moderate to severe symptoms, injectable gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists are often used before surgical options.

While the exact cause of fibroids is unknown, they have been linked to oestrogen. Taken once a day as a single tablet, comprising 40mg relugolix, 1mg estradiol and 0.5mg norethisterone acetate, this is another treatment option for women with moderate to severe symptoms, and works by reducing the release of hormones which control oestrogen and progesterone production by the ovaries.