Bionovo has initiated the Phase I clinical trial to evaluate the safety of two doses of Menerba as a treatment of menopausal hot flushes in postmenopausal women.

The open-label and randomised trial will be conducted at three clinical sites in California, US.

The study will enrol 40 postmenopausal women between the ages of 40 and 65, who will be randomised to one of two doses of Menerba and treated for 28 days.

The primary goal of the study is to evaluate the safety of two dosage levels of the drug after four weeks of treatment.

Menerba is an oestrogen receptor beta selective drug manufactured from botanical sources, designed for the treatment of hot flushes associated with menopause.