Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

A class-action lawsuit on behalf of women who say they developed breast cancer after taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT), was certified by the British Columbia Supreme Court this week. The lawsuit alleges the makers of the HRTs Premarin and Premplus failed to warn patients about studies that showed a link between HRT and breast cancer. The lawsuit also claims that the company went to extraordinary measures to sway doctors and downplay any publicized risks associated with the drugs.

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Hundreds of lawsuits alleging that Wyeth Pharmaceuticals’ hormone replacement therapies (HRT) caused breast cancer have been settled in recent months including one in Pennsylvania where a judge upheld a verdict against the drug company, including a $6 million punitive damages award.

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The evidence weighing the benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in menopausal and postmenopausal women continues to tip toward the same conclusion – that taking HRT is dangerous.

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An herbal remedy for menopause symptoms marketed in Japan failed to show benefits among American women, according to a recent study published in the journal Menopause.

The pill, known as TU-025, combines cinnamon bark, peach pits and several other botanicals, and is regulated as a prescription drug in Japan. It is commonly used by Japanese gynecologists to treat hot flashes in menopausal women. The drug’s maker, Tokyo-based Tsumura & Company, helped fund a study to see if the benefits would also be seen in American women. The consensus was that if it proved beneficial, the herb could offer a safer alternative to traditional hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

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The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Pfizer over its hormone replacement therapy (HRT) Prempro, which means the pharmaceutical company will have to pay three Nevada women nearly $58 million. Pfizer claimed that plaintiffs attorneys biased the jury during closing arguments, which led to the jury awarding $134.1 to the three women. That award was later reduced to $57.6 million.

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How important is it for a post-menopausal woman to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT)? Audience member Rosemarie posed the question to Dr. Oz, the popular television doctor. Rosemarie says she became post-menopausal three years ago and she has never taken HRT.

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For years, Mrs. Smith* chose not to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to treat bothersome symptoms of menopause. During menopause, some women become “estrogen deficient” – their estrogen level drops so low that they experience symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness that can be so severe it interferes with a woman’s quality of life.

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.

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“Not every woman requires (nor should every woman take) hormones,” writes Dr. K. Flood-Shaffer, associate professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio, in MyHealthNewsDaily. “For the average woman in the perimenopausal or menopausal period, the reason to start a hormone regimen is very specific. Hormones are used to ease the symptoms of hot flushes (flashes), to control irregular bleeding or to treat vaginal dryness. There may be, in some women, an improvement in her overall sense of well being, improvement in sleep patterns or quality of sleep, or improvement in libido – but none of these are indications to start hormone therapy.”

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Thousands of women who claim their hormone replacement therapy (HRT) caused them to develop breast cancer and other deadly diseases and conditions may finally have some resolution, now that Pfizer Inc. has announced it expects to shell out an additional $300 million to settle the last of more than 10,000 product liability lawsuits. The drug giant has already paid $472 million to settle with plaintiffs.

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Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is blamed for increasing a woman’s risk of breast and ovarian cancer, heart attacks and strokes. Now, a new research study shows the pills also increase women’s risk of developing painful kidney stones.

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