Veoza

Veoza for menopause is a branded medication that contains the active ingredient fezolinetant. It’s called Veozah in the US. Unlike hormone replacement therapy (HRT) it doesn’t contain any hormones. Veoza is only used to treat moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms, like hot flushes and night sweats. It can be taken for as long as you need, until your menopause symptoms stop.

Veoza relieves hot flushes and night sweats caused by menopause. The active ingredient fezolinetant works on the part of your brain responsible for temperature control.

Before menopause, there’s a balance between the hormone oestrogen and a protein called neurokinin B (NKB). These regulate the brain's temperature control centre, so you don’t overheat. During menopause, your female sex hormones decrease in production, with a big drop in oestrogen levels. This disrupts your temperature control centre, causing hot flushes and night sweats. When you take Veoza, it blocks NKB from binding to receptors in your temperature control centre, reducing the frequency and severity of your symptoms.

Veoza is the first product available in the UK to treat only hot flushes. It’s only available with a private prescription, which you can get online from regulated online doctor services such as Asda Online Doctor.

Veoza is suitable for women going through menopause.

Voeza is not the same as HRT and is only suitable if you’re getting hot flushes and/or night sweats. If you’re not sure whether you’re going through menopause, you might benefit from using an at-home menopause test kit.

Take Veoza exactly how your doctor prescribes it. The recommended dose is one 45mg Veoza tablet, once per day, at the same time each day. Veoza should be swallowed whole with a drink. You can take Veoza with or without food.

When should I start taking Veoza?

Start taking Veoza for hot flushes as soon as your doctor prescribes it. You don’t need to wait to finish your period if you still have periods.

What should I do if I forget to take Veoza?

If you forget to take Veoza, take your missed dose if there’s more than 12 hours until your next dose is due. If there’s less than 12 hours left, skip the missed dose. Carry on taking Veoza at your regular time the next day. Never take a double dose to make up for a missed dose.

If you forget multiple Veoza doses, you can start again when appropriate, or speak to your doctor and follow up with any advice they give. If you struggle to remember to take Veoza at the same time each day, set an alarm or reminder on your phone.

What should I do if I take 2 or more doses of Veoza?

If you’ve taken 2 or more doses of Veoza, you may get symptoms of an overdose. This includes feeling sick (nausea), headache, or a prickling or tingling sensation (paresthesia), which should pass with time. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist straight away if you develop severe side effects.

What should I do if I want to stop taking Veoza?

You can stop if you want to, but your symptoms may go back to how they were before, unless your menopause symptoms have gotten better. You can take Veoza for as long as you need under a doctor’s supervision.

No, Veoza for menopause is not suitable if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. Don’t take Veoza if you’re pregnant or might be. You should use a form of protection while taking Veoza if you can still get pregnant.

You should not take Veoza tablets if:

• you’ve got an allergy to fezolinetant or any other non-active ingredients
• you’re pregnant
• you’re taking any medicines known as strong or moderate CYP1A2 inhibitors, such as contraceptives containing ethinyl oestradiol, mexiletine, enoxacin, and fluvoxamine
• you’re not menopausal

Veoza may also not be suitable if you:

• have ongoing liver problems or liver disease – if you can take Veoza, your doctor may need to check your liver enzymes regularly
• have kidney problems
• have or have ever had an oestrogen-related cancer, such as breast cancer
• take HRT containing oestrogen
• have a history of seizures (fits)

Veoza can cause side effects in some people, although not everyone will get them. Because Veoza is a newly licensed medicine in the UK, it’s being monitored closely under the black triangle scheme. If you get any Veoza side effects not listed in the patient information leaflet, or any severe or lasting side effects, speak to your doctor straight away. You can also report them using the Yellow Card Scheme.

A rare and serious side effect of Veoza is a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis). If you notice any of the following symptoms, call 999 or go to A&E straight away:

• swelling of the face
• redness or skin rashes
• difficulty breathing, wheezing, or coughing
• feeling weak or light-headed

Common Veoza side effects include:

• difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
• stomach pain
• diarrhoea
• an increase in liver enzymes, as found in blood tests

You shouldn’t take Veoza for menopause if you take:

• fluvoxamine, which is used to treat depression and anxiety
• enoxacin, which is used to treat infections
• mexiletine, which is used to treat symptoms of muscle stiffness
• combined contraceptives containing ethinyl oestradiol

These medicines can increase the amount of fezolinetant in your blood, which increases the risk of side effects. For any other medications, including over-the-counter and herbal remedies, speak to your doctor.

There are no known Voeza food and drink interactions. As Veoza is being monitored closely, you should speak to your doctor if you notice side effects after eating or drinking certain things.

The active ingredient in Veoza is fezolinetant. The other ingredients in Veoza are:

• tablet core: mannitol (E421), hydroxypropyl cellulose (E463), low-substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose (E463a), microcrystalline cellulose (E460), and magnesium stearate (E470b)
• film-coating: hypromellose (E464), talc (E553b), macrogol (E1521), titanium dioxide (E171), and iron oxide red (E172)

Veoza is safe to take if you’re vegan, halal, or lactose intolerant.

How should I store Veoza?

Keep Veoza out of reach of children and vulnerable adults. Don’t use Veoza after the expiry date labelled on the carton and blister pack. There are no special storage conditions.

How should Veoza be disposed of?

Veoza should be disposed of at your local pharmacy. Don’t throw away any unused medication in your household waste. Blister packs can be recycled in some pharmacies.

What does Veoza look like?

Veoza is a light red, round, film-coated tablet. It has the manufacturer's logo on one side and ‘645’ on the other. Each tablet contains 45mg of fezolinetant.

What pack sizes is Veoza available in?

Veoza comes in pack sizes of 28 tablets.

Information about the manufacturer

Veoza is manufactured by: Astellas Pharma Europe B.V., Sylviusweg 62, 2333 BE Leiden, The Netherlands.

The marketing authorisation holder is: Astellas Pharma Ltd., 300 Dashwood Lang Road, Bourne Business Park, Addlestone, United Kingdom, KT15 2NX.