Hormone Replacement Therapy Drug Alert
MedLaw
Legal Team Attorneys / Physicians Law Practice - Lawyers serving
Maryland and U.S. victims of Hormone Replacement Therapy
Over the last 65 years,
millions of women have received menopausal hormone therapy to relieve
hot flashes, and other discomforts caused by menopause. Through the
1970’s, menopausal women received estrogen to combat those symptoms.
Premarin, manufactured by Wyeth Laboratories, was the nation’s leading
menopausal drug. But in the 1970’s the scientific community learned that
Premarin causes endometrial cancer. Predictably, sales of Premarin
plummeted, as woman naturally stayed away.
But Wyeth was not about to sit still and watch its profits evaporate.
Wyeth convinced woman that if they combined Premarin with another drug,
Provera, the endometrial cancer problem would disappear. Moreover, Wyeth
told woman that if they took the combination of Premarin and Provera
that they would receive added protection to their heart, their bones,
that it would help prevent Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and increase
their sexual vitality. Wyeth turned the combination of Premarin and
Provera into a single pill, called “Prempro,” and promoted it to many
women as the Fountain of Youth.
In July 2002, a federal study released findings that long-term use of
Prempro leads to increased risk of breast cancer, heart disease and
strokes. This study, called the Woman’s Health Initiative (WHI), showed
doctors that virtually everything that the pharmaceutical companies had
been telling them about the benefits and risks of Prempro was wrong! The
study concluded that the RISKS of Prempro outweighed its benefits, and
urged woman on the study to stop taking Prempro immediately. Many other
studies followed finding similar if not even more striking results.
Wyeth scurried to change its warning label, but for thousands of woman,
it was too late – they had tragically developed breast cancer, and their
lives forever changed. A breast cancer epidemic had been created.
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The drug
companies had created a “conventional wisdom” that pushed
physicians to prescribe hormone therapy to women who did not
need it, where safer alternatives existed. The WHI brought
to light Wyeth’s failure to test its products and warn woman
and physicians about the true risks. |
Women are now asking Wyeth the tough
questions:
• After you knew Premarin caused endometrial cancer, why didn’t you test
your new drug, Prempro, to make sure it was safe?
• Why did Wyeth tell women that Prempro was safe to use for the
long-term when you had no tests to prove that it was safe for long-term
use?
• Why did you tell women that Prempro was good for your heart, bones,
and brain, when it turns out not to be true?
• Why did women have to wait for a federal study to find out what Wyeth
was responsible for knowing decades ago?
• Why did you treat women like guinea pigs?
• What responsibility are you willing to take for the cancer epidemic
you created?
Our lawyers have been investigating these questions for many years. Our
nationally recognized firm includes a board-certified
obstetric/gynecologist M.D., nurse/attorneys (R.N./J.D.'s), and
nurse/paralegals. In addition to our medical expertise, we have received
the highest rating for ethical conduct and professional excellence
offered by Martindale-Hubbell® ("AV"). We are recognized in the Best
Lawyers in America, and have been long-recognized as leaders in our
profession, and in the effort to bring the pushers of hormone therapy to
justice.
If you are interested in learning more about hormone therapy and breast
cancer, click here.
Please feel free to
contact us at 1-888-4-MEDLAW if you have questions or concerns.
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