Desvenlafaxine: Future Nonhormonal Treatment for Menopausal Hot Flashes

FDA approval appears likely.

Estrogen is the most effective treatment for menopausal vasomotor symptoms, but results from recent randomized trials have raised questions about its safety. Several centrally acting drugs have some efficacy for treating vasomotor symptoms, but none are FDA approved for this indication. In this U.S. industry-sponsored randomized trial, researchers evaluated desvenlafaxine, a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor that is a metabolite of venlafaxine (Effexor), in more than 700 women who were experiencing more than 50 moderate-to-severe hot flashes weekly.

The number of weekly hot flashes was significantly lower with desvenlafaxine (100 mg daily) than with placebo (e.g., reduction at 12 weeks, 64% vs. 51%), and the effect of desvenlafaxin…

Reviewing Author

Robert W. Rebar, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMyovant Sciences, Inc.

Editorial BoardsEndoText; Clinical OB/GYN Alert

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society for Reproductive Medicine (Member, Ethics Committee)

Robert W. Rebar, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMyovant Sciences, Inc.

Editorial BoardsEndoText; Clinical OB/GYN Alert

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society for Reproductive Medicine (Member, Ethics Committee)

Desvenlafaxine: Future Nonhormonal Treatment for Menopausal Hot Flashes

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Reviewing Author