There are an estimated 6 million women taking the prescription drug Prempro. Prempro is a leading Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) drug that combines estrogen and progestin into one pill. It is prescribed to treat women experiencing menopausal symptoms that include mood swings, hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness and osteoporosis.

When first introduced, it was believed that HRT could reduce the risk of osteoporosis and heart complications in women. However, in July 2002, the National Institute of Health (NIH) halted a major clinical study of 16,000 women due to alarming preliminary findings. The data suggested that after only one year on Prempro, an otherwise healthy woman faced increased risk of

• Heart attack (by 29%)
• Breast cancer (by 24%)
• Blood clots (by 200%)
• Stroke (by 41%)

The National Cancer Institute also reported in another study that ovarian cancer risk in postmenopausal women increased to 220% if they took estrogen for more than 20 years. More Prempro research findings, click here.

In addition to the potentially life-threatening PremPro risks, there is also a long list of other side effects that affect women taking PremPro, Femhrt and other combined HRT. (HRT means any combination of the hormones estrogen and progestin.) Learn more about the side effects associated with Prempro.

For almost 40 years, women have been encouraged to take drugs like Prempro to relieve menopausal symptoms – yet these drugs were recommended on unreliable medical evidence. Wyeth pharmaceutical company, who is the manufacturer of Prempro, has no plans to recall the drug. Prempro bring almost $1.4 billion in revenue for Wyeth each year.

In response to the Prempro controversy, Wyeth has issued new guidelines that caution against long-term use and has reduced the drug’s recommended dosage by half. Unfortunately, it may be too little too late for the many women who have suffered adverse effects.

If you have suffered harmful effects from Prempro such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer, stroke or heart attack, you may be entitled to file a legal claim against the drugs maker for negligence in product labeling and marketing. Learn More about your Legal Rights.

Multiple medical organizations have issued statements urging women to avoid using combined estrogen-progestin therapy if at all possible. Unless women are suffering severe menopausal symptoms that have not responded to any other form of treatment, they should first try alternative therapies, such as exercise, relaxation techniques and vitamin E supplements. If HRT use cannot be avoided, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2003 stated the therapy should only be used in the lowest possible doses for the shortest possible time.

Prempro Dangers >