Bazedoxifene/conjugated estrogens and quality of life in postmenopausal women

Objective: To assess the effects of bazedoxilene/conjugated estrogens (BZA/CE) on sleep parameters and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL). Methods: This was a 12-week, Multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. Postmenopausal women with an intact uterus and experiencing :7 moderate-to-severe hot flushes daily were randomized to BZA 20 mg/CE 0.45 mg, BZA 20 mg/CE 0.625 mg, or placebo. In these secondary efficacy analyses, the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) sleep scale and Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) questionnaires and the Menopause Symptoms Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (MS-TSQ) evaluated measures of sleep, menopausal symptoms, and satisfaction with treatment, respectively. Results: A total of 318 subjects (mean age, 53.4 years) received >= 1 dose of study drug. At Week 12, BZA 20 mg/CE 0.45 and 0.625 mg showed significant improvements over placebo in the MOS sleep scale for time to fall asleep, sleep adequacy, sleep disturbance, and sleep problems indexes I and 11 (P<0.001). A reduction in hot flush frequency was significantly associated with improvement in sleep parameters (P<0.05) based on linear regression and responder analyses. Both BZA/CE doses showed significantly greater improvements over placebo in vasomotor function and total MENQOL score (P<0.001). Results of the MS-TSQ showed that subjects treated with BZA/CE versus placebo reported significantly greater overall satisfaction with treatment (P<0.05), as well as greater satisfaction with sleep quality, ability to control hot flushes during the day and night, effect on mood/emotions, and tolerability. Conclusion: Symptomatic postmenopausal women treated with BZA/CE experienced significant improvements in sleep parameters and overall HR-QOL. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.