Forest’s Lexapro Antidepressant Eases Hot Flashes in U.S. Study

Forest Laboratories Inc.’s top-selling product, the antidepressant Lexapro, eased hot flashes in menopausal women in a study, proving itself a potential alternative to hormone treatments.

The number of daily hot flashes dropped 47 percent for women taking Lexapro for 2 months compared with 33 percent for those given a placebo, according to U.S.-funded research published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Lexapro also reduced the severity of the symptoms and resulted in no “serious adverse events,” scientists said.