FDA approves new drug to treat menopausal hot flashes

BOSTON -- A new medication could have a cooling effect on many women suffering from menopause.  

And this is not a hormonal treatment.

Hot flashes affect up to 80% of menopausal women and can sometimes be so severe, they interfere with a woman's ability to function and her quality of life.  

Hormone therapy is very effective, but many women choose to avoid hormones for a variety of reasons.  

Now the FDA has approved the first nonhormonal medication to treat menopausal hot flashes. 

Veozah, a once-a-day pill, targets pathways in the brain that help control body temperature and can also reduce the sweating, flushing, and chills that often accompany a hot flash. 

There is a potential risk of liver damage, so women taking the drug would need to be monitored with blood tests over time. The drug could be available by prescription in the next few weeks.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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