Hormone Replacement Therapy

Hormone replacement therapy is a common procedure doctors use to restore the estrogen chemical balance in menopausal women.  As women age their natural levels of estrogen begin to decrease which causes some women to experience extreme discomfort and mood swings.

In order to combat these conditions doctors treat women with a mixture of estrogen often made from horse urine.  These chemicals restore the balance of hormones in the body, but unfortunately these drugs cause a number of serious side effects such as heart attacks, strokes, cancer, and blood clots.

Prempro

Prempro is an extremely popular hormone replacement therapy drug manufactured Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.  It increases the levels of estrogen in menopausal women in order to prevent a great deal of discomfort associated with the condition.  It is one of the most popular drugs in the United States, and accounted for almost $1 billion in sales in 2001 alone.

Unfortunately, a study conducted by the National Institute of Health on the effects of Prempro discovered that it was so dangerous that the organization discontinued it before it was completed. This study indicated substantial increases in heart attacks, strokes, and breast cancer in women who took Prempro as opposed to a placebo.

Prempro side effects

Prempro is responsible for some of the most serious side effects of any prescription drug.  Originally intended to treat the complications and conditions suffered by some women during menopause, Prempro was discovered to cause extremely serious and potentially fatal side effects.

Some of the most common and serious side effects of Prempro include:

• Blood clots
• Heart Attacks
• Stroke
• Breast Cancer
• Weight gain
• Genitourinary Complications

Prempro News

Prempro has been in the news quite frequently in the last few months, but it is doubtful that its manufacturer Wyeth cares for the publicity.  Well publicized accounts of the serious side effects of Prempro and other hormone replacement therapies have cast serious doubt over the industry in general.

Most recently Prempro has been associated with not only an increase in blood clots and other cardiovascular problems, but scientists have also demonstrated that the drug significantly raises the risks of breast cancer in the women who take it.  This risk was deemed so high that the study to measure it had to be discontinued prematurely in order to protect the participants.

On October 4, 2006, a jury in Philadelphia awarded a woman $1 million and her husband $500,000 after they determined Prempro was responsible for causing her breast cancer.  Wyeth could also be held responsible for paying severe punitive damages if the second phase of the trial decides that the pharmaceutical company had advance knowledge of the dangers of Prempro and chose to market it without warning consumers.  There are currently around 5,000 cases against Wyeth awaiting trial.  The first Prempro trial in September 2006 found that Wyeth had not adequately warned doctors or consumers of the potential dangers associated with the drug.

Breast Cancer and Prempro

As women’s bodies age they produce less and less of the hormone estrogen.  Unfortunately this causes many unpleasant side effects, but doctors sought to relive this discomfort by replacing and restoring natural estrogen levels.  The tragedy is that the medications such as Prempro used to restore these chemicals can cause serious complications such as breast cancer.

Breast cancer is particularly dangerous because it can quickly spread throughout the body if not stopped early.  Because women who took Prempro had little to no warning that their drug might be harming them it was quite easy for breast cancer to spread to other systems and cause serious damage.

If you or someone you know participated in hormone replacement therapy and suffered from negative side effects you may be entitled to seek financial restitution from those responsible.  If you want to know more contact our dedicated and experienced lawyers today.

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