Menopause: finally a miracle treatment against hot flashes and other side effects?

France Inter revealed this Friday that a new drug against menopause has passed the clinical effects phase. If it passes the other test phases, it should be able to be marketed within a year.

Élinzanetant. A very complicated name but one that many women could soon be quick to remember as it could change their lives. Indeed, behind this obscure name hides a drug that treats the undesirable effects of menopause. So, goodbye to hot flashes, heavy sweating, night sweats or redness? We will have to wait a little longer.

France Inter reveals this Friday, August 30 that the treatment, developed by the pharmaceutical company Bayer, has passed clinical trials. Although it has shown good results, it still has many steps to validate before it can be put on the market.

But why does this treatment raise so much hope when drugs already manage to effectively combat these same side effects? Quite simply because these “classic” treatments are essentially composed of hormones intended to compensate for the drop in estrogen levels. Problem: since the 2000s, many studies have pointed out the increased risk of breast cancer that occurs when taking this type of treatment. Women have therefore, logically, massively turned away from it.

Also read:
VIDEO. Menopause: how to avoid weight gain and hot flashes?

Elinzanetant does not contain any hormones and therefore, a priori, no factor leading to an increased risk of breast cancer. The molecule acts directly on the brain and in particular on the hormones responsible for regulating body temperature.

Another reason for hope is these famous clinical trials which have demonstrated, on two occasions, that, out of a panel of 700 patients aged 40 to 50, 80% observed a significant reduction in the frequency of symptoms.

Also read:
VIDEO. What sexuality after menopause? Our expert answers

Bayer, in order to be able to put its new product on sale, will have to present the results of the clinical trials in question to the American and then European authorities. In France, it is the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) which is responsible for issuing, or not, the marketing authorizations, which have been mandatory since 1941.