Elinzanetant for Menopausal VMS: OASIS Lead Investigator Discusses Results, Side Effects, Next Steps

Vasomotor symptoms (VMS) are reported by up to 80% of women during menopause and are one of the leading reasons that women seek medical attention during menopause, according to JoAnn Pinkerton, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and division director of Midlife Health at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Virginia. “Even though all women go through menopause, less than 15% get effective, individualized treatment,” Dr Pinkerton told Patient Care Online in a recent interview. Also, there are limited, FDA-approved nonhormonal treatment options for VMS, so oftentimes symptoms are left untreated.

Elinzanetant (Bayer) is a novel selective nonhormonal dual neurokinin-1,3 (NK-1,3) receptor antagonist in late-stage clinical development for moderate-to-severe VMS. The OASIS clinical development program examining the efficacy and safety of elinzanetant consists of 4 phase 3 clinical trials (OASIS 1, 2, 3, and 4). Results from the first 3 studies showed elinzanetant significantly reduced the frequency and severity of moderate-to-severe VMS associated with menopause. Patient Care recently sat down with Dr Pinkerton, the national lead for the OASIS program, to discuss the first 3 studies in greater detail, including notable results and side effects and serious adverse events, and what the next steps in research are.