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Scientists unveil new drug to smooth menopause symptoms
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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Scientists are at the final stage of working on a new drug capable of blocking a special brain receptor – this will help to smooth out the main symptoms that bother women during menopause.
Presumably, the introduction of the new drug into clinical practice should take place within the next 3-5 years. The modern drug has already demonstrated excellent results, stopping the negative effects of hormonal changes in the female body. However, experts suspect that the drug can cause negative effects on the liver. Therefore, it takes time to slightly modify the drug.
The final clinical trials have already been scheduled and will take place in a few months. The pharmaceutical market will be able to introduce the new drug in about three years.
Previously, the only drugs capable of alleviating a woman's well-being during menopause were hormone replacement drugs. However, the side effects of such treatment were very serious – increased thrombus formation, cardiovascular pathologies, and even breast cancer.
Now scientists have developed a fundamentally new drug – a non-hormonal blocker of the brain receptor NKB. Today, the drug is available under the name Pavinetant (MLE 4901). It successfully copes with hot flashes, excessive sweating, headaches and irritability. "We have managed to improve the lives of many women quickly and efficiently. The new drug immediately made us understand that it has great prospects," comments on the innovation Dr. Julia Praga, representing the Imperial College London.
According to the results of the experiments, already on the third day of taking the drug, the frequency of negative symptoms decreased almost twice. Women who were offered the new treatment reported significant positive changes in their well-being. The drug effect was stable throughout the entire trial period.
According to British experts, generally accepted standards of therapy for menopause have long been outdated: hormone replacement drugs and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors used for treatment are something between high-quality and safe elimination of negative symptoms. The new drug is encouraging: perhaps a modern alternative will soon allow us to abandon the unsafe use of hormones.
"The medicine we have developed will be the best choice for those patients who have previously had breast cancer and are afraid to take hormonal treatment in the future. There are also many other women with contraindications to taking hormones. For such categories, the new medicine will be a real salvation from health and well-being problems," the specialists add.
The new development is presented on the pages of the Menopause magazine.
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