Prescription Drug List for Menopause About to Grow Longer with Menerba
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The prescription drug list for sufferers of menopause is about to get longer. On August 30, 2010 the FDA gave approval for Phase III clinical testing of Menerba by Bionovo, a prescription drug to treat hot flashes.
What Medication is Currently on the Menopause Prescription Drugs List?
So far, the drug list of medication to address menopausal symptoms is scarce. Currently, the only FDA acceptable treatment options to relieve hot flashes is hormone replacement therapy. Hormone therapy is also beneficial in preventing bone loss, but can lead to harmful side effects such as breast cancer. Mild or low doses of prescription anti-depressants such as Effexor, a SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), may also help relieve some hot flashes.
The anti-hot flash drug also includes forms of progesterone, namely, megestrol acetate and Depo-Provera, neither of which are as effective as estrogen, and are not prescriptions specifically designed to treat hot flashes.
The FDA hopes to expand the prescription drugs list to address menopause symptoms by holding ongoing discussions with Bionovo to begin the third part of its third clinical phase, administered through the University of California.
Menerba is an oral botanical drug that in Phase II showed a high success rate and is a promising alternative to hormone replacement therapy. The drug was taken in clinical studies over 12 week periods with no serious side effects.
A physician should, before proposing a prescription drug, list the effects to help menopausal patients decide if drug therapy is needed to relieve symptoms.
