Menopausal hot flashes and night sweats were significantly reduced for women taking a non-hormonal pill from Bayer in a late-stage trial, researchers reported in JAMA Internal Medicine.
More than 600 postmenopausal women with troublesome vasomotor symptoms took either elinzanetant or a placebo daily for 52 weeks.
By week 12, elinzanetant recipients saw a more than 73% reduction in the frequency and severity of such events, compared to a 47% reduction in the placebo group, researchers reported.
By week 50, those in the elinzanetant group were experiencing an average of 1.4 moderate-to-severe hot flashes or night sweats per day, versus 3.5 such events per day in the placebo group.
Elinzanetant also seemed to reduce sleep disturbances and improve quality of life, but the study was not designed to fully assess those secondary benefits.
The drug had no harmful effects on the liver or bone density, the researchers determined.
Roughly 30% of women receiving elinzanetant and 15% of those in the placebo group reported treatment-related adverse events, such as headaches and sleepiness.
"This yearlong study not only confirmed the initial findings of rapid and significant reduction in the frequency and severity of hot flashes and night sweats but also provided evidence that these effects were sustained over a year, offering hope for longer-term relief," study leader Dr. JoAnn Pinkerton of the University of Virginia said in a statement.
"Elinzanetant will likely be an important addition to the armamentarium of nonhormonal pharmacologic options for treatment of vasomotor symptoms," an editorial published with the study concludes.
Elinzanetant was approved in July for use in the UK and Canada, where it is marketed as Lynkuet. The drug is still under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
