When you’re experiencing menopause, hot flashes can wreak havoc on your body. During a hot flash, blood vessels near the surface of a person’s skin get bigger, their blood flow is increased, they can appear flushed, and their body can quickly become drenched in sweat. In short: “[Hot flashes] can be quite disruptive,” Claudia Mason, MD, an ob-gyn at Cleveland Clinic, tells SELF. They can mess with your sleep and just be super uncomfortable, in general.
Hot flashes occur in the majority of people who experience menopause: Research shows that more than 80% of them experience these alternating sensations of heat, sweating, flushing, anxiety, and chills for up to five minutes at a time. For some people, hormone replacement therapy (HRT)—which is often prescribed to treat the symptoms of menopause—does the trick. However, not everyone can use this treatment. For example, it usually isn’t recommended for people who have been diagnosed with breast, ovarian, or uterine cancer because it can slightly raise the risks of those conditions. People with untreated high blood pressure, blood clots, stroke, or some cardiovascular problems, are also generally advised against taking HRT.
This is why the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of Veozah, a non-hormonal oral drug that can treat moderate to severe hot flashes, is a big deal, Dr. Mason says. “It’s great to have an option that’s non-hormonal” for people who can’t start—or haven’t had success with—HRT, she explains. (A quick note on who can’t take Veozah: It may not be safe for people with liver disease, Dr. Mason says. According to a statement from the FDA, people should be tested for liver damage before taking the drug.) The medication works by targeting receptors in the brain that control temperature.
Though it will be a helpful option for some people, others may have to wait until a more affordable treatment is available, Dr. Mason says. “Probably everybody except those with liver problems [could take this to treat hot flashes], and that would be great, terrific, if you could afford it,” she explains. “It’s slated to be very costly.”
According to Reuters, Veozah is set to cost $550 for a 30-day supply. (A spokesperson told ABC News Veozah should eventually be widely covered by insurance companies.)
A spokesperson for Astellas, the maker of Veozah, told NBC News the drug could be on pharmacy shelves in a matter of weeks. But, for the time being, its benefits will be limited to people in certain income brackets, Dr. Mason adds. Even among people who aren’t good candidates for HRT, she says, “This will probably be more of a niche drug until the cost goes down.”
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