Prempro HRT Lawsuits

(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 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