Clearwater Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Call us toll-free today! (800) 840-0977
Home :: Hormone Replacement Drugs

Hormone Replacement Drugs

Tampa Hormone Replacement Drugs law firmFor decades, women have taken hormone replacement therapy products such as Premarin and more recently Prempro, which are drugs manufactured by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  These drugs were intended to reduce the symptoms of menopause. For years, doctors believed the long-term use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was without significant adverse side effects.  The drugs were marketed as providing added protection against osteoporosis and heart disease for menopausal women.  However, that all changed in 2002 after alarming safety concerns were released about the dangers of using combination HRT medications.  The 2002 change was the result of significant findings in the Women's Health Initiative study.

Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Study

The National Institutes of Health established the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) in 1991 to address the common causes of death, disability, and impaired quality of life in post-menopausal women.  The WHI was a 15-year multi-million dollar clinical trial, and one of the largest U.S. studies of its kind.  Over 16,000 women participated in the estrogen plus progestin trial of the WHI.  The HRT study was abruptly stopped in July of 2002 due to serious safety concerns after a number of study participants using combined HRT developed dangerous medical problems.  In particular, the WHI study showed alarming increased risks to women receiving hormone replacement therapy:

Recent Medical Findings about HRT

After the WHI study was published, there was a dramatic drop in HRT use in the United States, from 60 million prescriptions written in 2001 (bringing in more than $2 billion in sales) down to 20 million in 2005. Numerous medical studies have been published since the WHI study about dangerous risks associated with using combined HRT.  Click here to view archive medical information regarding Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Recently, study findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine in February of 2009 supports the theory that the decline in U.S. breast cancer rates is largely related to a decrease in combined HRT use among postmenopausal women. Data found that postmenopausal women who take combined estrogen plus progestin for at least five years are nearly doubling their risk of developing breast cancer. The study indicated that women on hormones can quickly reduce their risks of cancer simply by stopping the therapy.

Wyeth Paid Medical Ghostwriters to Promote HRT

Most of the pending HRT lawsuits in the U.S. have been transferred to the federal multi-district litigation (MDL) proceedings pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.  Recently, U.S. District Judge William Wilson ordered thousands of court documents be unsealed that related to the medical ghostwriting practices of Wyeth.  The documents show Wyeth played a major role in publishing 26 scientific articles over the course of seven years in 18 different medical journals.  Wyeth solicited and paid surrogate non-medical authors to draft the articles, and then paid doctors to sign off as authors.  Not only did the articles overemphasize the benefits of HRT, but they downplayed the serious risks associated with the drugs. 

The law firm of Alley, Clark & Greiwe has been deeply involved with HRT litigation for many years.  Our attorneys currently represent over 100 women injured by HRT medication. In May of 2010, our firm has the first HRT trial scheduled in the State of Florida against Wyeth in Pinellas County.

News Archive:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
A Paperstreet Web Design