Menopause medication 'should be covered under drug scheme'
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A new menopause drug which could reduce hot flushes for women unable to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) should be covered under the Drugs Payment Scheme, Cork North West TD Aindrias Moynihan has urged.
Veoza was approved by the European Medicines Agency in February and doctors expect it to be available here around April.
Menopause expert Dr Deirdre Lundy previously told the this new drug is “a really powerful weapon” against hot flushes.
It is aimed at women who are not suitable for HRT or who may not wish to use that treatment according to the manufacturer.
It could particularly help menopausal women with certain types of cancer including oestrogen-positive breast cancer who are unable to use HRT to control hot flushes and night sweats, she explained. However, she and others expect the cost to be quite high.
Veoza is already being used in America, and the drugs.com online database indicates a monthly supply costs in the region around $589 (€538) depending on which pharmacy women attend.
It is also available privately in Britain, but not yet through the NHS.
Mr Moynihan, who is Fianna Fáil's spokesperson on public health and wellbeing, said he has been approached by women in his constituency who feel this medication would be of benefit to them, but they are worried it will be unaffordable.
He said one woman in particular had been through a difficult time with breast cancer, and she told him she was “very conscious” of the potential financial costs of this medication.
“Another woman who is undergoing cancer treatment at the moment, and knows that it [menopause] is out ahead, we would have been talking about Veoza,” he said.
He has raised the issue with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly. In response, the Department of Health said the process of evaluating the drug for use in Ireland is already underway.
“The company marketing it submitted an application for reimbursement to the HSE on February 8,” the department told Mr Moynihan in response to a parliamentary query.
"It is now at the first stage of the process, a rapid review by the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics. My officials will be following its progress with interest.”
This centre is responsible for assessing the value and benefit of new drugs, and whether they should be financially supported through the public health system.
There has been an increasing interest in medication and lifestyle changes to support women through perimenopause and menopause recently, which has been linked to a greater understanding of the condition globally as well as in Ireland.