Harvard Health Ad Watch: New drug, old song, clever slogan

It's not often that a new drug comes to market that could help nearly a quarter of the adult population. But if that's the case, you'll definitely see ads for it on TV and online.
That's the case with Veozah (fezolinetant), a medication for menopausal hot flashes and night sweats that was approved by the FDA in May 2023. This is stated in an advertisement imaginative slogan: “You can have fewer hot flashes and more.”notflashes.”
So what is an emergency flash and what does the advertising tell us about this new drug?

The ad: This is anotflash

The advert opens with an upbeat song, "Good Feeling", a 2011 hit by Flo Rida. A woman in a crowded elevator is visibly distressed and drenched in sweat as the voiceover explains: "Theis a hot flash.” A second woman appears and wakes up in her bedroom, bathed in sweat. Again the narrator explains: “Theis a hot flash.” Cut to two smiling women on a dock taking selfies as boats rock behind them: “But this is anotFlash."
In voiceover, we learn that Veozah is a prescription medication for women with moderate to severe hot flashes and night sweats - or vasomotor symptoms, as medical experts say. (Hot flashes may or may not result in sweating, while night sweats are billed the same way.)
As we learn from voiceover that the drug is “hormone-free,” the words “100% hormone-free” appear on the screen. Got it? Apparently this drug does not contain any hormones.

Does Veozah work?

But is it effective? The ad's voiceover states: "Veozah has been proven to reduce the number and severity of hot flashes day and night. For some women, it may work in as little as a week."
The details are easy to miss. They appear briefly in small print at the bottom of the screen: "After 12 weeks, women taking Veozah had 63% fewer hot flashes compared to 42% taking placebo." Sounds good, right? More on what that actually means below.

What does the ad tell us about risks?

The FDA requires drug manufacturers to review the most common or serious risks of taking the drug. As the catchy song continues, images emerge of women sleeping peacefully, teaching in a classroom full of students, or working in a hectic office. The voiceover warns that some people should not take Veozah: people with cirrhosis (a form of liver disease) or severe kidney problems, and people taking a medicine known as a CYP1A2 inhibitor.
Next comes the litany of possible side effects, including:

• die Notwendigkeit wiederholter Leberblutuntersuchungen vor und während der Behandlung
• Magenschmerzen
• Durchfall
• schwieriges Schlafen
• Rückenschmerzen.

What does the ad do right?

This ad highlights the significant suffering caused by Hot flashes and night sweats, which affects around 80% of women during menopause. There are currently treatment options (and, to be honest, actual ones). Research on those dealing with these problems ) are quite limited. In recent years, hormone replacement therapy with estrogen and related medications has been commonly prescribed. But concerns about Risks associated with the use of estrogen Many doctors have stopped prescribing hormone replacement products, and many women refuse it when offered.
But Veozah works without hormones: it blocks a protein in the brain that helps regulate body temperature. That's why the message "hormone-free" is emphasized in the ad.

How effective is Veozah for hot flashes and night sweats?

Unfortunately, a closer look at the data shows that the difference between Veozah and placebo in reducing hot flashes and night sweats is relatively small. And some important information is missing or incomplete from the display. I filled in gaps by looking at two crucial studies on Veozah (called: SKYLIGHT 1 And SKYLIGHT 2 ).

What exactly are “moderate” and “severe” symptoms?

For this study, women were required to have at least seven moderate to severe hot flashes per day, although the average was 10 to 12. A moderate hot flash was defined as a feeling of heat with sweating that did not interfere with activities. A severe hot flash was a feeling of heat with sweatingdidinterfere with activities. So the moderate to severe hot flashes counted by researchers in this study included sweating, regardless of the time of day they occurred.

How many hot flashes or night sweats were prevented?

The ad provides data on effectiveness as a percentage reduction: 63% fewer hot flashes. Importantly, this does not indicate the actual number of hot flashes prevented. During the 12 weeks of treatment, women given the medicine went from an average of about 11 hot flashes per day at the start to about four per day. In comparison, the number of hot flashes in the group taking a placebo (an inactive pill) fell from 11 to 6.5 per day. So that's a total of about 2.5 fewer hot flashes per day for women taking the medication.

• Wie sieht es mit der Wirksamkeit aus? nach 12 Wochen? Basierend auf den veröffentlichten Studien (einschließlich OBERLICHT 4 ) hält die Wirksamkeit bei fortgesetzter Behandlung mindestens ein Jahr an. Das sind zwar gute Nachrichten, aber es wäre hilfreich zu wissen, ob die Wirksamkeit nachlässt oder anhält darüber hinaus ein Jahr, denn Hitzewallungen und Nachtschweiß in den Wechseljahren können viele Jahre lang kommen und gehen. Der Durchschnitt liegt bei etwa sieben Jahren, und es ist nicht selten, dass sie ein Jahrzehnt oder länger halten.
• Wie vielfältig waren die Studienteilnehmer an den klinischen Studien, die zur FDA-Zulassung führten? Mehr als 80 % der Studienteilnehmer identifizierten sich als Kaukasier, 17 % als Afroamerikaner, 24 % als Hispanoamerikaner/Latina und 1 % als Asiaten. Es sind Studien zu einer vielfältigeren Bevölkerung erforderlich.

What else should you know about possible disadvantages of Veozah?

The ad covers the most common side effects reported during trials of this medication. But the recommendation to avoid Veozah if you're taking a CYP1A2 inhibitor is likely to confuse most viewers. This warning relates to an enzyme that helps the body metabolize many medicines, including Veozah.
If you are already taking a medicine that blocks the action of this enzyme and start taking Veozah, the blood level of Veozah may rise higher than intended and increase the risk of side effects. Many common medications can cause this interaction (including ciprofloxacin, some oral contraceptives and cimetidine). Ask your doctor before you start taking Veozah.
Finally, the ad does not contain any information about the costs. According to the drugmaker's website, the list price is $550 per month. This is the amount you would be charged if you did not have health insurance.
But thatAverage pricefor those with commercial health insurance, it is $41 per month. It's about $77 per month for people covered by Medicare Part D and $12 per month for people with Medicaid. The drugmaker's patient assistance program may provide the drug free of charge to some eligible people - but the eligibility criteria are not easy to find and are not included in the ad.

The end result

A newly approved, non-hormonal medication for menopausal hot flashes and night sweats is big news. However, it remains to be seen whether this is a small step forward or a big step forward. In any case, the ad largely serves its purpose: introducing us to a new drug for a common and debilitating condition for which there are currently limited treatment options.
Of course, this one-minute ad for Veozah isn't intended to cover everything a viewer would want to know about it; It is intended to encourage people with severe hot flashes and night sweats to ask their doctor about the advertised medication. Keep this in mind when you see advertisements for this medication – or any other medication advertisement for that matter.
While I'm not sure if Veozah will prove to be a miracle drug, one thing is for sure: this song definitely holds up.