Mrs. Smith talked to her doctor, who recommended Prempro, a pill made by Wyeth that contains a mixture of estrogen and synthetic progestin hormones. The pills were also marketed to doctors and women as a miracle drug that tamed not only menopausal symptoms but also had the added benefit of protecting women against heart disease and osteoporosis. HRT became widely prescribed, and Wyeth racked in billions in profits.

Less than two years after starting HRT, Mrs. Smith, an otherwise hormone deficient woman, was diagnosed with a hormone-fed breast cancer. She became part of a staggering statistic that was only just beginning to emerge from the Women’s Health Initiative, research that focused on causes of mortality and morbidity in menopausal and post-menopausal women. The study that focused on HRT was abruptly halted in 2002 when data showed that women who used HRT were at greater risk for breast cancer. They were also at increased risk for ovarian cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, heart attacks, strokes and blood clots.

Perhaps even more disturbing is evidence that suggests that Wyeth was aware of the potential for serious health risks associated with its billion-dollar drug, but failed to warn doctors and their patients. As a result, as many as 10,000 women or their family members have filed lawsuits against Wyeth. This August, Mrs. Smith is scheduled to have her day in court.

“We look forward to the trial of this case,” says attorney Ted Meadows with Beasley Allen Law Firm. “Once the jury gets to see the evidence that other juries have seen, we believe they will agree that Prempro caused (Mrs. Smith’s) breast cancer and that doctors were not adequately warned because Wyeth refused to properly test the drug.”

* client’s name has been changed

For more information about HRT litigation, visit www.beasleyallen.com.

SOURCE: Hormone Replacement Therapy › HRT breast cancer trial set for August

According to court documents, ghostwriters for Wyeth wrote 26 articles that appeared in 18 different medical journals between 1998 and 2005 emphasizing that hormones protect against osteoporosis, heart disease and dementia and down-playing the risks. In 2001, Wyeth benefited by reaping nearly $2 billion in sales of its HRT drugs Premarin and Prempro, making them among of the most prescribed drugs in the U.S.

But at what cost did Wyeth benefit?

In 2002, the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), a research initiative initiated by the National Institutes of Health to look into some of the major health problems of older women, was abruptly halted after researchers found that menopausal women who took certain hormones had an increased risk of invasive breast cancer, heart disease and stroke. One of the thousands of victims is Geraldyne Frambs of Sacramento, Calif.

In the mid-1980s, Frambs was prescribed and began taking HRT. In 2003, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now she wants justice. This week, attorney Ted G. Meadows with Beasley Allen Law Firm filed a lawsuit on behalf of Frambs against Wyeth Inc., Weyth Pharmaceuticals Inc., Pharmacia & Upjohn Company LLC, Pharmacia Corporation, Pharmacia & UpJohn LLC, Greenstone Ltd, Barr Laboratories Inc., Barr Pharmaceuticals and ESO Lederle Inc.

The lawsuit alleges that the cancer, subsequent surgery, treatment, injury and damage to Frambs were caused by her use of HRT. The complaint alleges that the defendants were negligent by not assuring that their products did not cause users to suffer from foreseeable unreasonably dangerous side effects and serious health problems, and that they should have known the serious risks women were put under by using drugs that were defective at the time of production. Furthermore, the complaint alleges that the defendants willfully deceived the plaintiff by concealing the true facts concerning the hormone therapy drugs, which the defendants, as manufacturers, marketers and distributors of the products, had a duty to disclose to the plaintiff.

The lawsuit seeks recovery of all monies the plaintiff paid for the products; to be compensated for the cost of medical care as a result of the use of the products including past medical expenses, wage loss, pain, suffering, disability and emotional distress.

Read Frambs’ complaint: Frambs v Wyeth (HRT Lawsuit)

Sources:
New York Times
Beasley Allen

SOURCE: Hormone Replacement Therapy › Wyeth paid ghostwriters to sway doctors to prescribe HRT