Blitz Bureau
A new daily pill treating endometriosis has been approved for use on the NHS in England, as per a BBC report. The pill, called linzagolix, will soon become available for over 1,000 women to help manage symptoms of the condition.
It’s estimated endometriosis affects 1.5 million women in the UK – it can cause chronic pain, heavy periods and extreme tiredness. The condition occurs when cells similar to those in the lining of the womb grow in other parts of the body like the pelvis, bladder and bowel.
Linzagolix is the second take-at-home pill to become available on the NHS. In March, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approved a similar treatment called relugolix combination therapy.
The two pills differ slightly as linzagolix will require additional ‘add back’ treatment, whereas relugolix combination therapy combines the two into one pill.
The list price for linzagolix is £80 for a monthly pack of tablets while a 28-day course of relugolix costs the NHS £72. Although there is no cure for endometriosis, current treatments include pain relievers and hormone injections which temporarily shut down the body’s production of oestrogen – the hormone which causes endometriosis tissue to grow and cause pain.
However, patients often need to travel to hospitals to have the injections, which last for up to three months. In clinical trials, linzagolix was shown to reduce painful periods and non-menstrual pelvic pain when compared with a dummy drug. The pill works by blocking specific hormones including oestrogen.
The charity Endometriosis UK says this will then induce a ‘medical menopause’ and will be used alongside ‘add back’ hormone therapy. Linzagolix will only be available specifically for patients whose previous medical or surgical treatments have been unsuccessful.
Sue Mann, national clinical director in women’s health for NHS England, said the new pill was welcome news for women living with endometriosis.
