The FDA has issued a Drug Safety Communication involving Veozah (fezolinetant), a medicine used to treat hot flashes due to menopause, due to its potential to cause “rare but serious liver injury.”
This update was made “after reviewing a postmarketing report of a patient with elevated liver blood test values and signs and symptoms of liver injury after taking the medicine for about 40 days.” The FDA also added new recommendations about “increasing the frequency of liver blood testing” upon starting Veozah.
The FDA suggests that patients “stop taking Veozah immediately and contact your health care professional who prescribed the medicine if you experience signs and symptoms that suggest liver problems.” It also suggests that healthcare professionals “conduct hepatic laboratory testing before prescribing Veozah, then every month for the first three months after patients start treatment, and then at months 6 and 9 of treatment.” The patient in the postmarketing report returned to normal after stopping the medication.
The agency urges patients and healthcare professionals to “report side effects involving Veozah (fezolinetant) or other medicines to the FDA MedWatch program.”
Matt MacKenzie | Associate Editor
Matt is Associate Editor for Healthcare Purchasing News.
