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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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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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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The more than 2 million baby-boomer women who are approaching menopause may find themselves in a precarious position when it comes to handling hot flashes and mood swings. Should they risk the threat of breast cancer from use of hormone replacement therapy, or simply suffer through the agonizing symptoms? According to Forbes, new and detailed research offers women the opportunity to make a more educated decision.

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A federal study revealed that the pharmaceutical company Wyeth paid ghostwriters to write articles for medical journals that were favorable to the drug company’s hormone replacement therapy (HRT) Prempro, even after the drug was found to raise a woman’s risk for breast cancer, according to the New York Times.

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Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and its link to breast cancer and other serious conditions continue to make headlines. This week, U.S. News & World Report announced that women who take HRT and then get breast cancer are at lower risk of dying from their disease, according to a new study by the University of California-Irvine.

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A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reveals that women who took hormone replacement therapy (HRT) face an increased risk of cancer several years after stopping the treatment, according to an NPR report.

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Overweight women suffer more hot flashes during menopause than women who maintain a normal weight, according to the Hartford Courant. The news story references a study published by the American Journal of Epidemiology that debunks an earlier belief that menopausal women who were heavier experienced fewer hot flashes than thin women.

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