Is fezolinetant included in medical insurance?

As of now (October 2025), Fezolinetant has not been officially launched in mainland China, and therefore has not been included in the national medical insurance directory. Domestic patients are temporarily unable to purchase the drug directly through hospital pharmacies or formal channels. Fezonatant was first developed by Japan's Astellas Pharmaceutical Company and was approved for marketing in the United States in 2023 under the trade name Veozah. It became the first non-hormonal drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of moderate to severe menopausal hot flashes. After this innovative therapy was successively launched in Europe, the United States and some Asian countries, it attracted widespread attention from the international medical community due to its good safety and significant efficacy.

Since it is still in the domestic drug registration and approval stage, Chinese patients often need to obtain drugs through overseas medical institutions or international pharmacy channels if they need them. Prices vary greatly in different regions. The selling price in the US market is relatively high, with monthly treatment costs ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars, while the cost of some generic drugs or parallel imported versions in Asia is lower. With the international popularity of this drug, it will have the opportunity to be included in the medical insurance system if it is approved for marketing by the China State Food and Drug Administration in the future.

The inclusion in the medical insurance catalog generally depends on factors such as the clinical value of the drug, scope of indications, and population needs. Fezonatant targets the vasomotor symptoms of menopause. Although these diseases affect the quality of life, they are not considered serious life-threatening diseases, so the possibility of being covered by medical insurance in the short term is relatively low. However, as menopausal health management gradually receives more attention, the drug is expected to open for registration in the Chinese market in the future and gradually promote medical insurance negotiations, bringing new non-hormonal treatment options to more patients.

Reference materials:https://www.veozah.com/