Prempro is a type of hormone replacement therapy given to women going through natural or surgical menopause. Manufactured by pharmaceutical company Wyeth, it actually combines several drugs: a progestin and a selection of estrogens, all of which are female hormones. The drug was once very popular, with more than 126 million U.S. prescriptions and $3 billion in U.S. sales in 2001.

But the use of Prempro and other hormone replacement therapies (including Premarin) plummeted starting in 2002, after a study by the National Institutes for Health showed that Prempro users had a substantially increased risk of developing breast cancer, heart attacks and strokes. A British study subsequently confirmed the breast cancer link, and later studies suggested that the combination might also increase patients' risk of developing dementia and blood clots. In response, Congress ordered the FDA in 2003 to change Prempro's labeling and launch a campaign to educate women about the increased risks associated with taking Prempro.

Prempro sales dropped by about half after the NIH study, and its use is now restricted to a much smaller group of patients. However, the potentially defective drug is still offered for sale despite its risk of deadly side effects. And because some diseases move slowly, patients who have quit hormone replacement therapy may still not be aware of some of the worst Prempro side effects.

Frighteningly, evidence has come to light suggesting that Wyeth took steps to downplay the drug's dangers, even after the NIH study. The New York Times reported in December of 2008 that Wyeth paid ghostwriters to write medical journal articles favorable to Prempro, which were published under doctors' names. Readers and journal editors were not told about the ghostwriters, in violation of many journals' ethical standards. One article, published after the NIH study became public, told readers that there was "no definitive evidence" linking Prempro to cancer, and indeed, that hormone replacement patients had a better chance of surviving cancer. As of late 2008, these allegations were the subject of a Congressional investigation and several Prempro injury lawsuits.

For more information on Prempro lawsuits and other defective prescription drug claims, you can visit our firm's Drug Injury Attorney Blog.

Carey, Danis & Lowe is investigating cases of breast cancer or other serious injuries caused by hormone replacement therapies. If you or someone you love has developed a serious health problem or died after taking Prempro or another hormone therapy drug, we would like to hear from you. You may be eligible to file a Prempro injury lawsuit, which allows you to hold the drug's maker legally responsible for causing your injuries and collect compensation for your increased medical costs, pain, suffering and other catastrophic injuries. To set up a free consultation with Carey, Danis & Lowe, please contact us online or call 1-877-678-3400 to speak with an experienced defective drug attorney.