AbCellera’s menopause medicine ‘sets new efficacy bar’ for hot flashes

News Drug Development AbCellera’s menopause medicine ‘sets new efficacy bar’ for hot flashes August 11, 2026 | 1 min read | Tristan Manalac Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email Print AbCellera Biologics’ reduction in hot flashes sets it apart from currently commercial oral drugs, including Astellas’ Veozah and Bayer’s Lynkuet, according to BMO Capital Markets. AbCellera Biologics’ investigational antibody significantly lowered the frequency and severity of hot flashes in a Phase 1/2 study of post-menopausal women to a degree that BMO Capital Markets said could reinforce the asset as a “potentially best-in-class treatment.”In women given AbCellera’s ABCL635, the daily number of moderate and severe hot flash episodes dropped at week four by an average of 8.8 as compared to baseline, according to a Monday news release. Comparators on placebo, meanwhile, saw a mean decrease of 3.5 events per day.

The treatment difference was statistically significant.AbCellera closed Monday’s trading session up nearly 35% to $9.34. For BMO, ABCL635’s benefit “sets [a] new efficacy bar” in the treatment of vasomotor symptoms, the medical term used to describe hot flashes in post-menopausal women. ABCL635’s efficacy numbers “appear differentiated vs.

current oral agents,” the firm continued in a Monday note, specifically naming Astellas’ Veozah and Bayer’s Lynkuet, both indicated for hot flashes.More broadly, the group considers this readout to be “transformational for AbCellera’s business,” with a forecast of unadjusted worldwide peak sales of $2.3 billion for ABCL635.Aside from cutting the frequency of hot flashes, AbCellera on Monday also reported that ABCL635 eased the severity of episodes by 58% versus 12% in placebo counterparts, a treatment effect that was statistically significant. Sleep also improved in patients on ABCL635.As for safety, AbCellera noted that its asset was well-tolerated over four weeks, with no serious or severe toxicities. There were also no side effects prompting patients to drop out of the trial.This safety profile could help to further differentiate ABCL635 from other hot flash treatments, BMO noted.

Other drugs have been held back by off-target activity and liver toxicities, “forcing dose selection below levels that” fully engage their molecular targets, the analyst said, in turn limiting their overall efficacy.AbCellera’s Phase 2 trial is ongoing, with 12-week follow-up data that could inform optimal dosing expected in the coming months, according to a company presentation on Monday.AbCellera plans to meet with the FDA to discuss the late-stage development of the asset. Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email Print Women’s health Tristan Manalac Tristan is BioSpace‘s senior staff writer. Based in Metro Manila, Tristan has more than eight years of experience writing about medicine, biotech and science.

He can be reached at tristan.manalac@biospace.com, tristan@tristanmanalac.com or on LinkedIn.