Studies

We asked Bryan Aylstock, a Florida attorney whose firm protects the rights of consumers who are seriously injured due to defective drugs such as Prempro, to explain the importance of the studies that have been done. He provided the following information:

Women's Health Initiative

The Women's Health Initiative (WHI), [a long-term national health study that focuses on strategies for preventing heart disease, breast and colorectal cancer and fracture in postmenopausal women], conducted a study that showed a direct link between Prempro and breast cancer. The WHI actually stopped a study that it was doing on these drugs in 2002.

It was an unusual step for them to discontinue the study midstream, but they did it because they were seeing alarming rates of breast cancer in the exposed group of these combination hormone replacement drugs. Following the WHI study, the number of women who were taking this combination therapy fell off dramatically in the United States. That is important because a lot of the scientific evidence that has come out since then has confirmed the findings of the World Health Initiative study. So, there's a very strong causal link between the use of this combination therapy and the risk of breast cancer.

Wyeth studies

There were a number of internal studies and Wyeth had been looking at the issue for many years prior to the World Health Initiative. They were concerned about it – but not from the standpoint of individuals. They were more concerned about their product and profits. So, they didn't do any large population-based studies. Those were done by independent scientists, but they certainly had knowledge that this was a potential risk for many years.

Other studies

A number of other studies have been done as well. However, not every instance of breast cancer is caused by these hormone replacement drugs. The drugs, because they're hormone replacements, cause a hormone-sensitive breast cancer. Just about everybody who's diagnosed with breast cancer these days will have a sensitivity test done to determine whether their particular breast cancer is hormone sensitive. If the cancer is hormone sensitive, then doctors should not be prescribing hormones to this individual because that could exacerbate the breast cancer or cause it to recur.

Scientists have seen a dramatic difference when they've done studies where they've looked at the actual growth of the cancer in an individual while the individual is taking the hormone replacement drugs and then compared that to the growth when the drugs are discontinued. So, there are those types of studies that are done on individuals and then there are large population-based studies that have also established a connection.

If you or a loved one has been injured due to the use of Prempro, contact an attorney to discuss your situation. The consultation is free, without obligation and strictly confidential. To contact a qualified attorney whose practice focuses in this area of the law, please click here.

Suffered harm from Prempro? You may have a lawsuit. Click here, for a top rated law firm to evaluate your legal rights.