Women Who Have Painful Periods May Find Relief in Experimental New Drug

March 23, 2010 - a new experimental drug can alleviate menstrual pain caused by the coverage, rather a symptom than pain.

Researchers say that drugs are now the second phase of clinical trials in Britain and the United States, works by blocking the hormone vasopressin, which participates in reducing cancer. Increased levels of this hormone are considered to cause the pain associated with menstrual pain.

Menstrual pain, known in medical terms as dysmenorrhea, affect over 50% of women of childbearing age. They arise when the smooth muscles of the uterus contract with increasing frequency. The most common symptoms of typhoid and press back, dysmenorrhea, but may also cause nausea, vomiting, sweating and dizziness.

Treatments for dysmenorrhea include painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs and contraceptives that stop menstruation. But researchers say that the only help symptoms than the cause, and may have undesirable side effects.

"We hope that the drug will provide a more effective treatment option for millions of women around the world with this painful condition," researcher Andrzej R. Batt with Vantia Ltd., a British pharmaceutical company that develops and checks for drugs, according to a press release. "Dysmenorrhea is not only lowers the quality of life for millions of women, but hidden in the scale of the whole society, the economic cost includes a great number of days lost from work and school.

Batt presented new information on the molecular structure of the drug, known as VA111913, today at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Francisco.

Last year, the drug was the first phase of clinical trials showing it was safe for further human studies. Drugs were changed to allow it to be considered as a pill rather than an injection.

Phase II clinical trials conducted at sites in Britain and the United States, which evaluate the effectiveness of the drug in women with dysmenorrhea.

Results of Phase II clinical trial, expected to be released later this year. If these results confirm the initial findings and phase III clinical trial results to be positive, the drug may be FDA approved and available for use for about four years.