Newly developed non-hormonal drug will alleviate the misery of hot flushes

A NEW non-hormonal drug will revolutionise menopause treatments.

The drug, fezolinetant, which acts directly on the brain to prevent hot flushes, was licensed in the US earlier this month and could be prescribed in the UK by the end of this year.

Made by Astellas Pharma, the medication could transform the discomfort and misery that hot flushes cause for hundreds of thousands of women who are unable – or do not want – to use  hormone replacement drugs (HRT).

“This is a completely blockbuster drug,” declared Prof Waljit Dhillo, an endocrinologist at Imperial College London who headed 2017 trials that opened the door for developing the drug.

“It’s like a switch, the flushes go away in a day or two,” he told the UK media.  “It’s unbelievable how well these drugs work.”