Top in women's health: FDA warning for fezolinetant; trauma may be toxic for brain health

The FDA issued a warning that use of fezolinetant can cause rare but serious liver injury following a report of a patient with signs and symptoms of liver injury after taking the nonhormonal medication

The agent received FDA approval in May 2023 for the treatment of menopausal hot flashes.

“This change in the FDA prescribing recommendations for fezolinetant should not discourage women from using this effective therapy for management of hot flashes,” Stephanie S. Faubion, MD, MBA, NCMP, IF, director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Women’s Health and medical director of The Menopause Society, told Healio. “This is still a very rare event and is reversible upon discontinuation of the drug.”

It was the top story in women’s health last week.

In another top story, researchers found that exposure to trauma was tied to older white matter age in women.

Additionally, they reported a significant association between traumaand higher measurements of neurofilament light and glial fibrillary acidic protein in Black women.

Read these and more top stories in women’s health below:

FDA warns of potential liver injury with Veozah for menopausal hot flashes

The FDA issued a warning that use of fezolinetant, a nonhormonal medication indicated for treating menopausal hot flashes, can cause rare but serious liver injury, according to an agency press release. Read more.

Trauma, sexual assault exposure may be ‘toxic’ for women’s brain health

Exposure to trauma was tied to increased measures of inflammation and neuronal death for Black women and accelerated brain age indicators regardless of race or ethnicity, researchers reported. Read more.

Female pattern hair loss common during menopause, reversible if promptly treated

Female pattern hair loss is a common condition for menopausal women, but options to reverse and regrow hair are available if patients are diagnosed and treated, according to a speaker at the Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society. Read more.

‘Step-by-Step’ resource aims to improve menopause education for clinicians, students

A lack of menopause education for health care professionals has had a direct impact on midlife women seeking care, and a new initiative from The Menopause Society aims to bridge a wide gap in knowledge and training. Read more.

FDA to conduct independent review, lab study evaluating metals in tampons

The FDA announced it has commissioned an independent literature review and internal bench laboratory study to evaluate metals in tampons after a recent study suggested tampons sold in the U.S. tested for the presence of toxic metals. Read more.