A neurokinin 3 receptor (NK3R) antagonist was effective at improving vasomotor symptoms without the need for estrogen exposure, both in the short and long-term, researchers reported.
The oral NK3R antagonist MLE4901 was able to reduce the frequency of hot flashes by 72% by day 3 of treatment versus baseline symptoms (95% CI -81.3% to -63.5%) and a 51% improvement in frequency with the oral treatment compared with those on placebo, according to Julia K. Prague, MBBS, of Imperial College London, and colleagues.
Without tapering off, this effect was maintained throughout the 4-week study, they wrote in Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society.
"We conducted this study because menopausal flushing is a major problem, which affects the lives of millions of women worldwide and current treatments have side effects or are not effective," co-author Waljit S Dhillo, MBBS, PhD, also of Imperial College London, explained to MedPage Today. "We expected the neurokinin 3 receptor antagonist to reduce hot flushes based on previous data in animals, which suggested this approach should work to relieve menopausal flushing. However we were surprised at how effective the drug worked -- almost a miracle drug for this condition."
Neurokinin B/NK3R signaling is critical in menopausal flushing, and may be attenuated by administration of an oral NK3R antagonist, but without the addition of estrogen, according to the authors.