Relugolix for the treatment of uterine fibroids

Introduction: Uterine fibroids (UF) are benign tumors common in premenopausal women, with strong impact on the health-care systems. For many years, surgery represented the only therapy for symptomatic fibroids. However, clinicians are observing a switch from surgery to noninvasive methods; in particular, medical treatment has been shown to be efficacious in obtaining a bleeding reduction and in ameliorating patient conditions. Areas covered: The authors review the current options available for the treatment of women with UF, with a special focus on the newest one, relugolix. It is an orally active non-peptide Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-receptor antagonist recently licensed for women with symptomatic fibroids. Relugolix is a well-tolerated safe drug; it is effective in inducing a dose-dependent decrease in menstrual blood loss, with faster reduction of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) and a greater shrinkage in fibroid volume compared to the current standard of GnRH agonist treatment. Expert opinion: Relugolix is a promising drug for the non-surgical treatment of women with UF. To date, the only published data come from a well-selected Japanese female population study while results from worldwide ongoing studies are ongoing in order to confirm the efficacy of this GnRH agonist receptor.