Prempro, a combination of estrogens and a progestin, is a hormone replacement therapy (HRT) that has been proven to cause serious health risks in users, particularly increased chances of breast cancer, heart disease and stroke. As well, a host of adverse health consequences have been reported including ovarian and gall bladder cancer, lupus, nonhodgkins lymphoma, heart attack, sclerederma, venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and asthma.
(HRT is designed to replace hormones lost during menopause and relieve physical symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings and night sweats.)
A nationwide class action lawsuit has been filed against Wyeth, Inc. f/k/a American Home Products and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals f/k/a Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the manufacturers of the prescription hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drug Prempro (conjugated estrogens/ medroxyprogesterone acetate tablets).
In 2001, approximately 22.3 million prescriptions were written for Prempro to treat post-menopausal hot flashes and other menopause symptoms.
On July 9, 2002, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced that it has stopped a major clinical trial of the risks and benefits of combined estrogen and progestin. The study was to continue until 2005.
However, data revealed that, after an average follow-up period of 5.2 years, there were marked increases in invasive breast cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke and pulmonary embolism in patients taking the combination therapy compared to women taking a placebo.
The NHLBI study involved 16,000 women ages 50 to 79 that had not undergone a hysterectomy. Prempro was the only estrogen/progestin combination drug tested in the study. Women participating in the study were not given other brands of HRT drugs that had lower doses of estrogen or estrogen skin patches. The study found increased risks associated with the following:
- Strokes - 41% Increase
- Heart Attacks - 29% Increase
- Blood Clots - 105% Increase
- Heart Disease - 22% Increase
- Breast Cancer- 26% Increase
The decision to discontinue the study came on May 31, 2002, when the Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) held its bi-annual meeting to review the study's data. Previous DSMB reviews revealed increased rates of coronary heart disease, strokes and blood clots.
However, at the May 31st meeting, the DSMB reviewed data collected through February, 2002, which revealed for the first time a marked increase in breast cancer for women who were taking Prempro compared to those in the placebo group.
Prempro Articles
Prempro Won't Get the Better of Me
Terry Wicks took Pempro for about 17 years - back then, hormone replacement therapy was the cure for menopausal side effects. Back then, nobody knew it could cause breast cancer and Wicks didn't give it a second thought; she was an athlete, in perfect health. Last year she finished 33 radiation treatments.
Prempro Likely Caused Breast Cancer
The year that Prempro's label warned of an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, blood clots and breast cancer was the same year that Linda Jackson was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had taken Prempro for more than five years. "When he got the biopsy results back, my doctor told me to immediately stop Prempro," says Jackson.
Wyeth's Off-Label Promotion of Prempro Leads to 5,200 Lawsuits
Wyeth Loses Prempro Lawsuit
Prempro in the News
APR-16-07: An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (April 4, 2007) has drug companies claiming that hormone replacement therapy (HRT), such as
Prempro, is safe to use. However, the article only states that HRT does not increase the risk of heart attack in women under 59. It still increases the risk of stroke and breast cancer in women under 59, and increases the risk of stroke, breast cancer, and heart attack in women over 59. [
YUBANET: PREMPRO BREAST CANCER]
MAR-07-07: Many women confused and scared of hormone therapy after federal researchers reported that estrogen-progestin pills sold as
Prempro could increase risks for heart attacks, breast cancer and strokes. [
ASHBURY PARK PRESS: PREMPRO]
MAR-01-07: Jury returns $3 million verdict for 67-year-old Ohio woman who claimed Prempro caused her breast cancer. [
THE STATE: PREMPRO HRT CANCER]
FEB-20-07: Jury finds Wyeth's hormone replacement therapy
Prempro caused woman's breast cancer and awarded her and her husband $3 million. [
REUTERS: PREMPRO]
Prempro Breast Cancer
If you or a loved one has suffered from breast cancer as a result of taking taken progestin or a combination of progestin and estrogen, and you were diagnosed with breast cancer while taking HRT or within one year thereafter, you may qualify for damages or remedies that may be awarded in a Prempro class action or lawsuit.
(To qualify, a claimant must have discontinued hormone therapy upon the first visit to her prescriber after July 9, 2002.)
Other Prempro Side Effects
If you have developed the following during or after taking HRT you may qualify for damages or remedies that may be awarded in a Prempro class action or lawsuit.
- Ovarian cancer
- Gall Bladder cancer
- Lupus
- Nonhodgkins lymphoma
- Heart Attack
- Sclerederma
- Venous thrombosis
- Pulmonary Embolism
- Asthma
Please click the link below to send your complaint to a lawyer who will review your claim at no charge or obligation.
