AbCellera menopause drug cuts hot flashes in mid-stage trial, shares rise

The drug is designed to treat menopausal hot flashes by blocking the neurokinin 3 receptor, or NK3R, which helps regulate body temperature.

Vasomotor symptoms, or VMS, include sudden feelings of heat, flushing and sweating linked to changes in blood flow and body temperature.

Hormone therapy is commonly used to treat the condition, while non-hormonal options include Astellas Pharma's 4503.T oral drug Veozah, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2023.

Hot flashes and night sweats affect up to 80% of women during menopause and are among the most common reasons women seek medical treatment, AbCellera said.

In the 92-patient study, a single 600-mg dose of ABCL635 significantly reduced the frequency and severity of moderate-to-severe hot flashes compared with placebo after four weeks.

Patients treated with ABCL635 reported an 83% reduction in moderate-to-severe hot-flash frequency after four weeks, or 8.8 fewer hot flashes per day from baseline, compared with a 33% reduction, or 3.5 fewer events per day, in the placebo group.

ABCL635 also reduced symptom severity and significantly improved sleep and patients' overall assessment of symptom improvement.

Aug. 10 (Reuters) - AbCellera ABCL.O said on Monday its experimental menopause treatment significantly reduced the frequency and severity of hot flashes in a mid-stage trial, sending its shares up nearly 35% in premarket trading.

The non-hormonal antibody therapy, ABCL635, is being developed as a long-acting, once-monthly injection for women seeking alternatives to menopause hormone therapy.