Pharma: The dubious billion-dollar business with menopausal women

From the Handelsblatt archive: Investors and pharmaceutical companies are investing billions in products for menopausal women. However, there is a lack of effective therapies. A German provider benefits.

Munich. For decades, investors and pharmaceutical companies have paid little attention to the symptoms women experience during menopause - even though this affects more than half of the world's population over the course of their lives. But now hot flashes are suddenly becoming hot business.

Financial investors and private donors are pumping billions into selling products for women during menopause. Telemedicine providers promote hormone therapies. Programs for menopausal women are becoming the latest “employee benefit” in companies.

Gone are the days when women endured the symptoms in silence and the topic of menopause was ignored in public. Influencers and celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Serena Williams promote menopause products, and the hashtag #menopause has billions of views on Tiktok.

The long overdue momentum is here. But very few women receive effective help. Is the investment boom missing the real problem?