Women who used hormone replacement therapy (HRT) not only put themselves at risk for breast cancer, they are also at greater risk of developing more severe forms of the disease and at an increased risk of dying, according to a study published in the Oct. 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study contradicts previous studies that showed while HRT increased a woman's risk of breast cancer, the disease was often less aggressive and the tumors more treatable.
Letters written in July 2000 by sales representatives of Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, a division of Pfizer pharmaceutical company, have recently been made public. The letters, addressed to Wyeth executives and to their Office of Ethics and Business Conduct, express serious concerns by Wyeth employees that the company encouraged and even required its drug sales reps to minimize any risk of breast cancer and promote dangerous off-label usage of its hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs, Premarin and Prempro. These off label uses were never approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
Connie Barton bought into the message. It seemed to be everywhere - television, magazines, even her doctor was telling her that those nasty symptoms of menopause could be squashed by just taking a once-daily pill. Not only did the miraculous hormone replacement therapy (HRT) help with hot flashes, vaginal dryness and mood swings, it also helped counter serious health problems associated with estrogen loss - osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer, Alzheimer's disease, tooth loss and blindness. It seemed almost too good to be true. Turned out, it was.
Connie Barton and Donna Kendall have something in common: they stood up to one of the largest and most powerful drug companies in court - and won. Today in Philadelphia, Penn., their verdicts against Wyeth (a division of Pfizer) over its hormone therapy drugs Premarin and Prempro were released. In each case, the jury awarded the women significant compensatory and punitive damages ranging from more than $34 million to $78 million. This is just the tip of the iceberg as Wyeth faces lawsuits from more than 10,000 additional women who also claim that Wyeth's drugs gave them breast cancer.
A Little Rock, Ark., federal jury found Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Upjohn (a Pfizer unit) liable for $27 million in punitive damages to Donna Scroggin, who sued the drug manufacturers in 2004 after developing breast cancer after taking hormone-replacement therapy. The award includes $19.3 million from Wyeth and $7.7 from Upjohn.
