MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'hormone replacement'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:05:57 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5078034&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FpESdhESRxXI%2F And so, another working week is drawing to a close. This is, of course, our signal to daydream about weekend plans. We have not yet finalized our agenda, but we do hope to catch up on some reading and spend time with our short people. We may even tidy up the Pharmalot corporate campus. And you? Anything special in the offing? A day at the beach? A night at the movies? Maybe a dinner with someone special? Or if you have a high pain threshold, you could track the children in Washington DC as they jeopardize the economy. Whatever your pleasure, have a great time, but be safe. See you soon… Pfizer Wins Prempro Case In West Virginia (Bloomberg News) Nevada Wins Right To Continue Hormone Replacement Lawsuit (Las Vegas Sun) Sanofi Won’t Make Genzyme Milestone Payment (The Boston Globe... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5078034 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:10:06 +0100 5078034 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952744&cid=t_225035_86_f&fid=38272&url=http%3A%2F%2Flaikaspoetnik.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F20%2Fhot-topic-does-soy-relieve-hot-flashes%2F The theme of the Upcoming Grand Rounds held at June 21th (1st day of the Summer) at Shrink Rap is “hot”. A bit far-fetched, but aah you know….shrinks“. Of course they hope  assume  that we will express Weiner-like exhibitionism at our blogs. Or go into spicy details of hot sexpectations or other Penis Friday NCBI-ROFL posts. But no, not me, [...] (Source: Laika's MedLibLog) Laika's MedLibLog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952744 Sun, 19 Jun 2011 23:37:49 +0100 4952744 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4821148&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fs3IA6zq8bsk%2F In the latest indication that Pfizer hopes to resolve burgeoning litigation over its Prempro hormone replacement therapy, the drugmaker has now set aside a total of $772 million to cover an estimated 8,000 cases in federal and state courts around the country, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Specifically, Pfizer recently placed $300 million in reserves on top of $172 million in the first quarter of the year and another $300 million in previous quarters (see page 57 of the filing). The drugmaker disclosed that about one-third of all Prempro lawsuits have been resolved, suggesting another 3,000 or more remain in various dockets. Of course, the reserves could go still higher; Pfizer notes the set asides cover “the minimum expected costs to resolve a... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4821148 Fri, 13 May 2011 12:42:27 +0100 4821148 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704655&cid=t_225035_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhormone-replacement-therapy-what-weve-learned-from-the-womens-health-initiative%2F2011.04.12 This is the study that doesn’t end… The longterm follow up extends… Some people started studying hormones in menopause, And they’ll continue publishing more data just because… (repeat) In yet another paper in a major journal, we hear once more from the investigators of the Women’s Health Initiative. This time it’s the long term outcomes of women who took estrogen alone, now seven years out from stopping their hormones. What new information can we learn from this extensive analysis of new data? Nothing. Really. The WHI’s been telling us the same thing about ERT (Estrogen replacement therapy) and HRT (Combination estrogen/progestin therapy)  since 2002, and all each subsequent study does is reinforce and expand on that initial data. Unfortunately, it will probably take a fe... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704655 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 21:00:20 +0100 4704655 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592686&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FxcGz3SD9Cx4%2F Was there a surreptitious link between articles about hormone replacement therapy and industry funding after one arm of the federally funded Women’s Health Initiative ended in 2002? For those who do not recall, the estrogen plus progestin trial was stopped after investigators found patients given the treatment had a greater risk of heart disease and breast cancer. A new study believes there was a link. Since earlier studies found that many gynecologists continued to prescribe hormone replacement therapies after the WHI results were published and nearly half did not find the outcome convincing, the researchers looked at whether any promotional tone could be identified in what they called narrative review articles - or opinion pieces - about HRT. Among the widely used HRTs was Wyeth&#8... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592686 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:05:49 +0100 4592686 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4455486&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FuT2spYvGiGQ%2F Pfizer has agreed to pay about $330 million to settle more than 2,200 lawsuits charging its Prempro hormone replacement therapy caused women to develop breast cancer, embracing a strategy used by several other drugmakers to cap the cost of growing product-liability litigation that can worry investors. The cases settled for an average of about $150,000, according to Bloomberg News, which first reported the settlement, although a Pfizer spokesman disputed the figures. The move came after a Pennsylvania appeals court reinstated $1.7 million in compensatory damages and $8.6 million in punitive damages against Pfizer in a lawsuit filed by an Arkansas woman, who alleged its Wyeth unit failed to warn that Prempro could cause her to develop breast cancer. The settlement comes just weeks after Ian ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4455486 Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:09:42 +0100 4455486 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419347&cid=t_225035_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2Fu94sp041YWY%2F Vanessa Giacoppo was completing her final year of college when her health took a nosedive. The once vibrant and slim 26-year-old now barely recognized herself. “I felt like I had mono. I was sleeping all the time,” says Giacoppo. “At one point, my mother wondered if I was pregnant because I’d gained so much weight.” There were other problems, too. She was eating more than usual; her skin was very dry; and her hair and nails were brittle. So Vanessa went to the doctor and had the full battery of tests. The blood work revealed that while she wasn’t producing enough thyroid hormones (known as T3 and T4), her thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) was elevated. The labs pointed to a disease known as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, an autoimmune condition in which antibodies attack the gland ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419347 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 13:24:34 +0100 4419347 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419453&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FXql_GCjRfw8%2F Welcome to the working week. We hope your weekend was refreshing and relaxing. Now, of course, the time has come to resume the routine of meetings and deadlines. To cope, we are, once again, armed with a cup of stimulation - our flavor today is chocolate raspberry truffle - and invite you to join us. Meanwhile, here are some interesting tidbits to begin the day. Hope your day goes well and do stay in touch. We enjoy hearing what goes on in your world… FDA OKs Novartis Meningitis Vaccine In Children, No Infants (Bloomberg News) Radiologist Wins $482M In Stent Patent Suit Against J&J (Star-Ledger of NJ) Pfizer Order To Pay $142M Over Neurontin Marketing Is Upheld (MarketWatch) Glaxo Settles Avandia Suit On Eve Of Trial (Bloomberg News) Dr. Reddy’s Gets Court Approval To Sell... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419453 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 12:51:11 +0100 4419453 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4389181&cid=t_225035_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Flexapro-for-treatment-of-hot-flashes%2F2011.01.23 In a well done placebo-controlled study published in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), use of escitalopram (Lexapro) reduced hot flashes in menopausal women. Investigators enrolled 205 women, randomizing them to either Lexapro 10 mg or placebo, with instructions to increase to two pills a day if needed after four weeks. Lexapro users experienced about a 60 percent reduction in hot flash frequency over the eight-week study. About half ended up on the larger 20 mg daily dose by study’s end. The drug’s effect was apparent at about one week of use, and it was well tolerated. As in almost studies of menopausal treatments, the placebo group also experienced a significant reduction in symptoms — about 40 percent — but the difference between place... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4389181 Sun, 23 Jan 2011 23:00:21 +0100 4389181 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4305103&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FlRgOzMwajh8%2F Shortly before the recent holiday break, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals issued a ruling that had drugmakers and their attorneys cheering. After reviewing a lawsuit filed over the marketing of Pfizer’s hormone replacement meds, the court decided consumers who sue for misrepresentation under the state’s Consumer Credit and Protection Act now must also show proof of reliance to seek damages. In other words, consumers will now have to show a causal connection between claims that they were injured and any alleged unfair or deceptive conduct by a drugmaker. The original suit that was filed in 2004 charged Pfizer’s Wyeth used “unfair” and “deceptive” practices to promote its HRT meds to doctors and patients by using “misleading” st... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4305103 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 13:53:31 +0100 4305103 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4258865&cid=t_225035_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhrt-no-wonder-women-are-confused%2F2010.12.14 Confused about hormone replacement therapy (HRT)? I can’t imagine why… *This blog post was originally published at tbtam* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4258865 Tue, 14 Dec 2010 19:00:57 +0100 4258865 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4172062&cid=t_225035_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhrt-and-breast-cancer-deaths-%25e2%2580%2593-just-in-case-you-weren%25e2%2580%2599t-listening-the-first-time%25e2%2580%25a6%2F2010.11.16 A new analysis of long-term data from the Women’s Health Initiative confirms what we already knew the first time around: Use of combination hormone replacement (HRT*) is associated with a small, but real, risk of breast cancer. This new 11-year followup data carries that knowledge out to its not unexpected conclusion — namely, that some (although not most) breast cancers can be fatal, and therefore the the use of HRT can increase breast cancer mortality. While it may seem a bit of a “duh,” this study was, in fact, necessary to quell the WHI critics who continued to argue that the breast cancers caused by HRT were somehow less aggressive than those occurring off HRT (which they are not.) It was also a wake-up call for many women who were continuing to use HRT and thinking that s... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4172062 Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:00:50 +0100 4172062 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4168212&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FLHFTjD-DAAg%2F Good morning, everyone. Nice to see you again. We hope your weekend was refreshing and relaxing. Now, of course, the routine resumes with all those meetings and deadlines. We share the feeling, of course. To cope, we are brewing the mandatory cup of stimulation. Please join us. And as always, here are a few tidbits to help you along. Hope your day goes well and do stay in touch… J&J And Bayer’s Xarelto Beats Warfarin In Key Study (Bloomberg News) J&J’s Natrecor Doesn’t Kill Or Help Heart Patients (Forbes) Progress On Heart Disease Slows (The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) Genzyme Eyed Takeda As A White Knight (Bloomberg News) Pfizer Heart Drug Helps Milder Patients (Reuters) Merck Sets Growth Strategy In India (LiveMint) Brazil Lures Big Pharma (The Financial... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4168212 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:55:18 +0100 4168212 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4086517&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FHYlCehgX_oc%2F Once again, the Women’s Health Initiative appears likely to provide fodder for many lawyers who drag Pfizer into court. Why? A new study links the Prempro hormone replacement treatment, which is already linked to a higher risk of breast cancer and heart disease, is now linked to a higher risk of death. And the publicity for this finding, which will be considerable, may finally put the cabash on Prempro sales. The latest data, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, followed 12,788 women since 2002, when the federally funded WHI study that compared HRT with placebos was halted. In the new findings, there were 678 cases of invasive breast cancer, including 385 for women taking hormones and 293 with a placebo. More women who took hormones died from breast... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4086517 Wed, 20 Oct 2010 12:15:29 +0100 4086517 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4061074&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FgsazPnROR1s%2F Dealing a setback to Pfizer and several other drugmakers, the US Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Pfizer and several other drugmakers to reconsider a decision to reinstate more than 100 lawsuits filed by women who claim various hormone replacement therapies caused them to develop breast cancer. The ruling means the women can proceed with their litigation in Minnesota state court. The drugmakers wanted the cases heard in federal court, and argued that the plaintiffs added unrelated local defendants to ensure it would stay in state court. A federal judge agreed, and dismissed many of the lawsuits. But a federal appeal court overturned the ruling and then sent the cases back to Minnesota state court, where the lawsuits were filed originally. For those wondering why this legal jockeying t... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4061074 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 21:41:29 +0100 4061074 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003433&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FhVaD-KOeWNg%2F Two weeks ago, a paper published in PLoS Medicine revealed the extent to which Wyeth used ghostwriting to promote its hormone replacement therapies. The practice was already known, but the paper offered new details thanks to a review of approximately 1,500 documents - emails, contracts, internal memos and depositions - that were culled from litigation brought by some 14,000 women and their families against Wyeth, which is now owned by Pfizer (read it here). At the time, the author of the study, Adriane Fugh-Berman, a Georgetown University professor who runs the PharmedOut project that examines pharmaceutical marketing, disclosed that she has worked as an expert witness in various lawsuits involving prescription drug promotion, including the HRT litigation over Prempro and Premarin. However... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003433 Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:36:03 +0100 4003433 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3994030&cid=t_225035_109_f&fid=38951&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarlatpsychiatry.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fmenopause-scandal-part-one.html Are rooms too hot for you? Are you sweating when everyone else is staying cool? Is sex not what it once was? If so, you may be entering menopause, and Wyeth, along with several other pharmaceutical companies, may have just the drug for you. The trouble is that the side effects, such as breast cancer and heart disease, may not be worth the cure. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) used to be tremendously popular, and Wyeth's Prempro (a combination of estrogen and progesterone) was at the top of the heap. That is, until preliminary results of the Women's Health Initiative were announced in 2002. Thus began the long saga of re-evaluating the science behind HRT, the latest installment of which is a fascinating and rather disquieting article just published in PLOS: The Haunting of Medical Journa... The Carlat Psychiatry Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3994030 Thu, 23 Sep 2010 10:18:00 +0100 3994030 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946686&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F4i0SspxzFd4%2F Two years ago, an investigation disclosed that Wyeth used a ghostwriting firm to generate material used to promote its hormone replacement therapies. By then, of course, the meds were linked to breast cancer in the 2002 Women’s Health Initative study. But the disclosure prompted a US Senate probe and has since been widely cited as an instance in which pharmaceutical marketing corrupted the process by which legitimate medical info is supposed to be disseminated (background). But just how extensive was the Wyeth ghostwriting? Well, between 1997 and 2003, a firm hired by Wyeth called DesignWrite generated more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, more than 50 scientific abstracts and posters, journal supplements, internal white papers, slide kits, and symposia to promote its Premarin and... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946686 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:54:17 +0100 3946686 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3925086&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FZSb1vjJG2Ks%2F File this under back to the drawing board. The Superior Court of Pennsylvania has decided that lawsuits filed by 14 women against Pfizer’s Wyeth and Pharmacia units over links between breast cancer and hormone replacement therapies were incorrectly dismissed by a lower court. And the ruling (read it here) could restore as many as 1,000 mass tort lawsuits to the docket in Phildelphia Common Pleas Court. At issue was whether Elizabeth Coleman could have reasonably known that her breast cancer was linked to one of the HRT meds she was prescribed prior to the 2002 disclosure by the Women’s Health Initiative showing the drugs can cause the afflication. A lower court determined Coleman should have known or had reason to investigate such a link even before the WHI study was released. ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3925086 Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:51:06 +0100 3925086 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3798825&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FwfqWwZwCEWM%2F Rise and shine, everyone. Another beautiful day is unfolding here on the Pharmalot corporate campus, where we are brewing two cups of stimulation simultaneously. We are two-fisted drinkers, you know. Please join us and grab one or more yourself, or a bottle of water, if you prefer. Meanwhile, here are a few interesting tidbits to help you along. Hope your days goes well and stay in touch… FDA Panel Reviews AstraZeneca’s Brilinta Today (Reuters) Merck KGgA Multiple Sclerosis Pill Gets Priority Review (Bloomberg News) Viagra May Be Used For Lung Disorder In Children (Bloomberg News) UK’s NICE Recommends Roche’s MabThera For Leukemia (Dow Jones) Merck Paid 3,468 Death Claims To Resolve US Vioxx Suits (Bloomberg News) Pfizer Trovan Suit Transferred To Nigerian State Cou... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3798825 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:46:21 +0100 3798825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3699702&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FOdezhOp_Z0E%2F Last week, the US Supreme Court refused to hear Pfizer’s appeal of a lawsuit in which a woman charged the Prempro and Premarin hormone replacement drugs caused her to develop cancer (background). In doing so, the court let stand $2.75 million in compensatory damages and a separate trial to determine punitative damages will proceed (the cap is $1 million, by the way). This means one plaintiff could collect $3.75 million and, as Sanford Bernstein analyst Tim Anderson points out in an investor note, there are perhaps more than 8,000 lawsuits working their way through the courts for the past seven years. Do some rough math, allowing for appeals, and Pfizer’s liability is anywhere from $1 billion to $8 billion. So far, he notes, Pfizer has lost most cases that went to a jury at the... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3699702 Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:48:55 +0100 3699702 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3683867&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FDJtxO0qiShA%2F The US Supreme Court rejected an appeal of a ruling that ordered a retrial on how much punitive damages should be awarded to a woman who developed breast cancer after taking the Prempro and Premarin hormone replacement therapy drugs, according to this report. Pfizer argued a retrial limited to punitive damages had violated its constitutional right to a jury trial and the judge in that case had improperly admitted testimony of a scientific expert. An Arkansas jury in 2008 sided with Donna Scroggin in her lawsuit against two companies bought by Pfizer - Wyeth and Pharmacia - which was the first federal verdict against Wyeth. Scroggin was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000, after taking hormone replacement therapy drugs for 11 years, and was awarded compensatory damages of $2.7 million. She... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3683867 Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:02:51 +0100 3683867 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515637&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F1I3fCofJeb8%2F Hello, everyone, nice to see you again. The sun is shining here on the Pharmalot corporate campus as we scurry about, attempting to hustle one of the short people to the local school house. This calls for another cup of stimulation, of course. Meanwhile, more meetings and deadlines loom. So as you ready yourself for another day, here are a few items to help you along. Have a good one and stay in touch… Viagra Patent In Brazil Expires In June (Associated Press) AstraZeneca Exceeds Q1 Expectations (Reuters) Bristol-Myers Reports Big Quarterly Gain (Associated Press) Sanofi Sees Modest Effect From Healthcare Reform (Bloomberg News) Bayer Raises Financial Outlook (Bloomberg News) Australia Pays More For Generic Statins (PharmaTimes) Fate Of UK Pfizer Plant Uncertain (Leinster Leader) MDL... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515637 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:54:26 +0100 3515637 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3399035&cid=t_225035_117_f&fid=37824&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.doctorkalitenko.com%2Fblog%2Fgeneral-health%2Fhow-do-we-survive-economic-impact The outlook for 2010 is bleak. Homes will continue to be foreclosed, jobs will be lost, and less money will be flowing as compared to years past. Also inevitable: we will get another year older. Bad news, right? Not really! Though we may not be able to control the outside elements that affect our lives and the world around us, we can do something to make sure than in the survival of the fittest, we are, indeed, the fittest we can be. To thrive this year, we need to be better than we have been. We need to make sure that we take care of our bodies, our minds, and our relationships. We need to do something practical to help our situation: 1.    Eat better. The foods we eat not only give us essential vitamins, but help our bodies to function better, including vegetables, lean organic meats... Doctor Kalitenko antiaging blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3399035 Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:41:47 +0100 3399035 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3194019&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FFMjUpfVai_k%2F Hello, everyone. How are you? The Pharmalot corporate campus is humming as we prepare various short people for the trip to this or that schoolhouse - always an adventure. Meanwhile, there is much to do, as you know all too well. So time to dig in and attack the meetings and deadlines. Here are a few items to help you along. Have a good day… Merck HIV Drug Fails Trial (Reuters) Judge OKs Plaintiff Experts In HRT Cases (The Legal Intelligencer) Ipsen Buys A Stake In Inspiration Pharma (Bloomberg News) Roche’s Xeloda Keeps Patients Cancer-Free Longer (Reuters) Merck’s Diarrhea Drug Lowered Infections (Bloomberg News) Pfizer Doubles E-Detailing Spending (Medical Marketing & Media) (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3194019 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:43:40 +0100 3194019 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3167445&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FJiLXpv1Z4Yk%2F Pennsylvania’s Superior Court reinstituted a lawsuit by finding that a woman was entitled to an exception to the two-year statute of limitations, because she couldn’t have reasonably known of an alleged link between her breast cancer and hormone-replacement therapy drugs before the publication of the Women’s Health Initiative Study in July 2002, The Legal Intelligencer reports. Despite a $1.5 million verdict in favor of Merle Simon, her lawsuit was dismissed because of the judgment. But the Superior Court said the trial judge shouldn’t have tossed her suit because it was filed within two years of the publication of the WHI study, which found HRT drugs increase the risk of breast cancer. Simon was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2002. The Simon case is one of abo... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3167445 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:26:35 +0100 3167445 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3163778&cid=t_225035_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FSKqay0zkNb0%2F I am fairly confident that most women—certainly those post-menopausal or peri-menopausal—are aware of the extensive media coverage and dire warnings following the release of the results of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in 2002.  At that time, it was stated that HRT is detrimental to a woman’s health, with risks outweighing the benefits.  It stated, pretty unequivocally, that HRT increased risk of breast cancer, cardiac events and stroke. It would be overstating to say that all of the 2002 results were inaccurate, since, as we know, science is rarely definitive and more information is constantly emerging and being revised; however, women should know that many of the initial results have been found to have been distorted, misundersto... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3163778 Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:02:25 +0100 3163778 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3097064&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FUsH0nGX6Zc0%2F A New York State court judge tossed the lawsuits filed by 23 women who claimed the drugmaker’s hormone replacement therapies - Prempro, Premarin and Provera - caused their breast cancer. Another defendant was Teva Pharmaceuticals. “While plaintiffs’ proffered evidence is extensive, a review of the material and the record as a whole contain no evidence of fraud, misrepresentation or deception,” New York State Supreme Court Justice Martin Shulman wrote in his Dec. 14 decision (please see here). He also concluded the plaintiffs didn’t file their complaints within the state three year statute of limitations. In reaching his decision, Shulman cited the “ongoing medical debate as to the risks versus benefits of taking HRT…Though this debate does not appear to be settled, t... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3097064 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:16:36 +0100 3097064 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3092930&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FXfQjWO1G_h4%2F Why? The big drugmaker Pfizer says the video, which discusses its Prempro and Premarin menopause treatments and is posted on YouTube, is misleading and aimed at swaying potential jurors in future trials over the pills. So Pfizer asked a judge to order its removal, Bloomberg News reports. The 5-minute video was posted by plaintiffs’ lawyers who recently won $78 million in damages in a Pennsylvania trial, but Pfizer argues the video violates state legal-ethics rules and threatens the integrity of pending cases, Pfizer attorneys wrote in a Common Pleas Court filing in Philadelphia, according to the news service. “Plaintiff’s counsel should be compelled to remove this video from the Internet and refrain from making any further inflammatory and prejudicial public statements” until the ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3092930 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:21:40 +0100 3092930 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3029770&cid=t_225035_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F25%2Fat-our-bodies-our-blog-prempro-lawsuits-cosmetic-surgery-the-fabulous-judy-norsigian%2F At Our Bodies Our Blog today, I have a bit about the outcomes of some recent lawsuits related to Prempro (estrogen+progestin HRT) and breast cancer. Earlier this week, I pointed to a recent issue of the journal “Clinical Risk” which is focused on cosmetic surgery risks and regulations. Christine has posted about a Time magazine article on a sex drive drug for women in which OBOS co-founder and director Judy Norsigian is quoted; Judy is also featured in the current issue of Vanderbilt University Medical Center newsletter The Reporter, following her visit to Nashville and talk at Vanderbilt’s School of Nursing. Posted in Body Image & Eating Disorders, Boobs, Cancer, Drugs, Menopause (Source: Women's Health News) Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3029770 Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:05:02 +0100 3029770 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3023412&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F5X0mRwH2GCQ%2F The drugmaker was ordered to pay a total of $103 million in punitive damages to two women who were found to have breast cancer after they used the Prempro or Premarin hormone replacement therapies. In one case, a jury awarded $28 million and a judge unsealed another case from last month with a $75 million judgment. Both cases played out in a Pennsylvania state court in Philadelphia. Some 1,500 lawsuits have been filed in Philadelphia and another 10,000 are lodged in other courts around the country. Lawyers for many plaintiffs say they have won financial settlements for undisclosed amounts in at least 10 other cases before the suits went to trial, according to The New York Times. Esther Berezofsky, a lawyer for one of the women who won the awards in Philadelphia tells the paper that “this... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3023412 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:24:46 +0100 3023412 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2963333&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FVjg11FRnhQ8%2F The punitive damages will go to an Illinois woman, Connie Barton, who developed cancer after taking Prempro, Bloomberg reports, although the amount was sealed last week by a Pennsyvlania state court judge until another trial begins. A jury also awarded her $3.7 million in compensatory damages after finding the conduct of Pfizer’s Wyeth was “willful and wanton” in marketing and selling the drug. Barton’s lawyers presented evidence during the trial about Wyeth efforts to “deflect” criticism of its handling of the drug and its use of ghostwritten articles in medical journals to market Prempro. They also alleged execs hid Prempro’s cancer risks to pump up the drug’s sales, Bloomberg writes. Annual sales of Wyeth’s hormone-replacement drugs topped $2 billion befor... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2963333 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:53:10 +0100 2963333 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2931289&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fs8MFmdCHZ-0%2F A Philadelphia jury returned a sealed punitive-damages verdict late yesterday against the drug maker after finding a link between a woman’s breast cancer and the hormone-replacement drug, the Associated Press reports. Connie Barton’s case is one of a handful of Prempro lawsuits to go to trial out of several thousand filed across the country. About 1,500 are pending in Philadelphia. At Wyeth’s request, the amount of Barton’s punitive award was sealed pending the verdict in a second Prempro case underway in the same courthouse, the AP continues. The jury had awarded Barton $3.75 million in compensatory damages last week and found Wyeth willfully hid evidence of a cancer link, prompting the deliberations Monday on punitive damages. “They knew back in the 1970s th... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2931289 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:07:33 +0100 2931289 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2832095&cid=t_225035_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F09%2F24%2Fat-our-bodies-our-blog-hormone-replacement-therapy-and-lung-cancer%2F At Our Bodies Our Blog today I have a piece on a new study that has been in the news on hormone replacement therapy and its association with risk of lung cancer. The quality of the study is, uh, not great. Find out why, and what it does say. Posted in Cancer, Drugs (Source: Women's Health News) Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2832095 Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:58:24 +0100 2832095 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2702364&cid=t_225035_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FohfZ-a09TFg%2F Earlier this week, I posted about ovarian cancer and preserving fertility among women who are still in their childbearing years (Ovarian Cancer, Young Women & Fertility). But other than knowing that ovarian cancer is difficult to diagnose and it’s survival rate is not good because of the difficulty diagnosing it in the early stages, how much do you know about it? Ovarian cancer, one of the gynecological cancers, along with uterine, endometrial, cervical and vaginal cancers, affects mostly women over the age of 50, or post menopause. Younger women do develop ovarian cancer but it’s not as common. While doctors don’t know what causes ovarian cancer, they do know that fertility and menopause play a role, showed by the rising number of older women who develop it. Why is i... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2702364 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:03:51 +0100 2702364 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2674254&cid=t_225035_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fguest-blog-on-need-to-get-ethical.html This article was accompanied by an editorial by me any my Co-Editor and a position statement by the World Association of Medical Editors decrying such practices.I am a practicing general internist who prescribes drugs regularly that help my patients. I want and need new drugs to be developed, and I believe that users of those drugs should pay for the necessary research and development through both drug pricing and funding of NIH. I am also a patient and similarly want there to be effective drugs to prolong my life and healthy living. But they should be described in an evidence-based manner, and the evidence must be unbiased. The drugs should be priced so the drug company recoups its costs and makes a profit. I have no problems with any of that. But when they try to enhance their profits th... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2674254 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:11:00 +0100 2674254 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2674255&cid=t_225035_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fwyeths-industrial-scale-ghost-writing.html MedInformaticsMD noted the impending release of documents about how Wyeth engineered ghost-writing of articles about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) here. Now the NY Times has had a chance to review the documents, with fascinating results.The scope of the ghost-writing campaign was on an impressively industrial scale: 26 articles published over 7 years in 18 medical journals.The details were ably covered by at least three other blogs. Dr Adriane Fugh-Berman, guest- (not ghost-) blogging on PharmaGossip discussed how the documents reached the public domain. Dr Daniel Carlat on the Carlat Psychiatry Blog, Prof Margaret Soltan on the University Diaries offered some choice comments -By Dr CarlatAs with baseball players on steroids, when companies pour marketing money into ghostwriting campai... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2674255 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:40:00 +0100 2674255 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2523271&cid=t_225035_117_f&fid=37824&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.doctorkalitenko.com%2Fblog%2Fantiaging%2Fprogesterone-deficiency-can-lead-to-tender-breasts Hormone Replacement Can Be the Cure Many women are suffering from tender and swollen breasts right before their period. Usually, it is one of the many symptoms, that include bloating, fatigue, even moodiness in some. A low progesterone level can be the cause of this tenderness. Replacement with progesterone, not progestine, may help. (Source: Doctor Kalitenko antiaging blog) Doctor Kalitenko antiaging blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2523271 Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:25:49 +0100 2523271 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2473678&cid=t_225035_117_f&fid=37824&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.doctorkalitenko.com%2Fblog%2Fgeneral-health%2Fwhy-you-may-be-at-higher-risk-for-loosing-your-uterus-then-european-women Learn how to protect your uterus with bioidentical hormone replacement Going to major surgery is not a pleasant thing at all, especially if it is because of a dangerous health condition. Like going for hysterectomy ( uterus removal ), which is the second in the United States GYN surgical procedures done after C section. But can we avoid it at least in some cases? If you do not know how to do it, then may be we should learn what European women are doing about it, because the hysterectomy rate in Europe is much lower, then in he US ( except Finland ). How did it happen? May be european women have uterus, different from the US women’s? I doubt it. So what may be the reason, that their uteruses are healthier? One of the most common reasons of uterine problems are uterine fibroids, link... Doctor Kalitenko antiaging blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2473678 Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:57:47 +0100 2473678 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2939423&cid=t_225035_117_f&fid=37824&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.doctorkalitenko.com%2Fblog%2Fgeneral-health%2Fwhen-retirement-is-not-an-option In today’s economic times, many people are finding that retiring at the age of 65 is almost impossible. And some of us, just don’t want to. But, in a time where kids are coming out of college, willing to do twice as much work for half the pay, baby boomers are finding themselves unable to keep up. After the age of 25, your body begins a downward spiral, and with age your memory levels, your muscles, and your energy deteriorate. Bioidentical hormone replacement can improve all of these symptoms, and keep you making the money that you need, and doing the job you love. You can look and feel ten years younger with easy treatments. (Source: Doctor Kalitenko antiaging blog) Doctor Kalitenko antiaging blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2939423 Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:23:52 +0100 2939423 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2167637&cid=t_225035_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D6109 US researchers have put forward new evidence of a link between hormone replacement therapy and an elevated risk of breast cancer. The BBC reports: The New England Journal of Medicine research found breast cancer risk fell sharply when women stopped taking HRT. A UK expert said a 50% drop in HRT use in recent years had probably stopped up to 1,000 breast cancer cases a year. But another group of experts said the fall in breast cancer rates may be due to other factors. The interpretation of the original 2002 “Women’s Health Initiative” study, linking combined oestrogen and progestin HRT with breast cancer, has been hotly debated Some think this is ‘Convincing data’ Dr Marcia Stefanik, from Stanford University, said: “This is very strong evidence that oestr... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2167637 Sat, 07 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2167637 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2039914&cid=t_225035_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fhaunting-of-hormone-replacement-therapy.html US Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) is digging into what appears to be another ghost-writing case. As reported by the New York Times,Wyeth, the pharmaceutical company, paid ghostwriters to produce medical journal articles favorable to its hormone replacement therapy Prempro, according to Congressional letters seeking more information about the company’s involvement in medical ghostwriting.Mr. Grassley’s staff on the Senate Finance Committee released dozens of pages of internal corporate documents gathered from lawsuits showing the central, previously undisclosed role of Wyeth and DesignWrite in creating articles promoting hormone therapy for menopausal women as far back as 1997.The documents show company executives came up with ideas for medical journal articles, titled them, drafted ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2039914 Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:39:00 +0100 2039914 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2040404&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F485583766%2F Taking the hormones for five years doubles the risk for breast cancer, according to a new analysis of the Women’s Health Initiative, a large federal study, revealing the most dramatic evidence yet of the dangers of the popular pills, the Associated Press writes. Even women who took estrogen and progestin pills - Wyeth sells the combo as Prempro - for as little as a couple of years had a greater chance of getting cancer. And when they stopped taking them, their odds quickly improved, returning to a normal risk level roughly two years after quitting, the AP reports adding, that, collectively, these new findings are likely to end any doubt that the risks outweigh the benefits for most women. The rate of breast cancer clearly plunged in recent years mainly because millions of women quit ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2040404 Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:14:43 +0100 2040404 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1969314&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F457835804%2F The drugmakers allegedly engaged in deceptive trade practices as they went about selling four hormone therapy meds, according to a lawsuit filed in Clark County District Court in Las Vegas. Attorney General Cortez Masto claims Nevada consumers and doctors were misled about the safety of Wyeth’s Premarin, Prempro and Premphase, and Pfizer’s Provera. “When drug companies purposefully misrepresent the safety and efficacy of their drugs, or promote their drugs in a deceptive way, everybody loses,” Masto says in a statement. “We’re confident we have the facts necessary to prove this case, and we hope this lawsuit and its outcome will deter improper drug company practices in Nevada.” The suit contends that Wyeth and Pfizer intentionally minimized the ri... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1969314 Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:32:19 +0100 1969314 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1631585&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F336998752%2F In doing so, the drugmaker avoided a trial this week in Nevada, where two women claims the Prempro and Premarin hormone-replacement drugs caused their breast cancer, Bloomberg News reports. Wyeth agreed to pay an undisclosed amount to Las Vegas residents Vesta Woodhouse, 71, and Annie Woods, 61, to resolve allegations it failed to adequately warn them about breast cancer risks. The settlement leaves Pfizer to face trial this week in a similar case brought by Woods over its hormone-therapy drug Provera, the wire service writes. The deal follows a ruling last week by a New Jersey judge who dismissed two similar lawsuits against Wyeth and Pfizer’s Pharmacia & Upjohn unit for lack of evidence. The plaintiffs in those cases, which would have been the first to go to trial in New Jer... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1631585 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:42:42 +0100 1631585 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1616432&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F333172876%2F A New Jersey state court judge granted summary judgment against the claims made by a woman who claims Wyeth’s Prempro and Premarin, and Pfizer’s Provera, caused her breast cancer. Her lawsuit, which charged the drugmakers failed to adequately warn against the risks associated with their meds, is the first in dozens of such cases and the outcome may call those into question. In a 52-page decision, Superior Court Judge Jamie Happas ruled that Dora Bailey failed to provide the specific type of evidence necessary to overcome state law that presumes FDA-approved labeling on the three drugs was adequate. Happas wrote that “the presumption of an adequate warning based on compliance with FDA regulations will be deemed rebutted only if the following proof is presented: deliberate ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1616432 Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:09:45 +0100 1616432 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1603408&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F331021569%2F The federal judge presiding over the Prempro federal litigation yesterday reversed a jury’s $27 million punitive damages award last March to a woman who claimed she developed breast cancer after using hormone replacement drugs, according to Mealy’s Litigation Report. US Judge William Wilson of the Eastern District of Arkansas ruled that expert testimony provided by the plaintiff’s expert was improperly admitted and he ordered a new trial. And he apologized to the jury by saying the reversal was his own fault. “I admitted much evidence that should not have been admitted,” he wrote at the conclusion of his 52-page ruling. On March 6, the jury ordered Wyeth to pay $19.4 million and Pfizer’s Pharmacia unit to pay $7.7 million after finding that the drugmakers acted inap... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1603408 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:56:22 +0100 1603408 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1561302&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F323962935%2F Last Friday, the Supreme Court of British Columbia denied an attempt by the drugmaker to dismiss a lawsuit that alleges its hormone replacement therapies cause breast cancer. And the move clears the way for a possible class action proceeding against not only Wyeth’s Canadian subsidiary, but Wyeth itself, The Canadian Press reports. Hundreds of women who claim they developed breast cancer after taking the drugs - known as Premarin and Premplus in Canada - have contacted the law firm involved in the lawsuit. “Now we can put the case back on track toward getting it certified as a class action,” David Klein, an attorney for the one existing plaintiff, Dianna Stanway, tells the Press. Wyeth asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, saying the Canadian women didn’t have jur... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1561302 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:05:14 +0100 1561302 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1469735&cid=t_225035_97_f&fid=35050&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmaGazette%2F%7E3%2F298541506%2Fless_blood_clots_from_hrt_patch_than_pill.html A new study found that women who take the skin patch version of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) could have a lower risk of blood clots than those who take the therapy in oral pill form.Dr. Pierre-Yves Scarabin, director of research at the National Institute of Health and Medical Research in France and his colleagues reviewed data from nine randomized controlled trials and eight observational studies on venous thromboembolismous  (VTE) and hormone replacement therapy. Their research found that women taking oral doses of estrogen had a VTE risk 2.5 times higher than women not taking estrogen. When compared to women using the patch version of the therapy is was found that the risk increased only slightly. Women who stopped treatments were found to have risk levels that h... PharmaGazette blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1469735 Mon, 26 May 2008 18:00:32 +0100 1469735 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1279509&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F245771091%2F The first follow-up of a landmark study of hormone use after menopause shows heart problems linked with the pills seem to fade after women stop taking them, while surprising new cancer risks appear, according to an analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. And the new risks for other cancers, particularly lung tumors, in women who’d taken estrogen-progestin pills for about five years puzzled the researchers and outside experts, the Associated Press writes. Those risks “were completely unanticipated,” says Gerardo Heiss of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, lead author of the follow-up analysis to the Women’s Health Initiative, the government-funded study that was halted six years ago. The analysis focused on participants in... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1279509 Tue, 04 Mar 2008 22:56:11 +0100 1279509 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1232034&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F235168667%2F In October 2005, Wyeth filed a citizen’s petition with the FDA in an effort to stop compounding pharmacies from making bioidentical versions of Prempro, its controversial hormone replacement therapy, which some women claim in lawsuits has caused them to develop breast cancer. Last month, the FDA responded by sending warning letters to seven compounders that their claims about the safety and effectiveness of their BHRT products are unsupported by medical evidence, and are considered false and misleading. The FDA explained that the drugs made by the compounding pharmacies contain hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and estriol, which the agency made a point of noting isn’t a component of any approved drug and hasn’t been proven safe and effective for any use. And this m... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1232034 Thu, 14 Feb 2008 21:03:34 +0100 1232034 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1156938&cid=t_225035_107_f&fid=36585&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FHighlightHealth%2F%7E3%2F218040975%2F This article was published on Highlight HEALTH. Related articlesLack of Health Insurance Increases Risk of Cancer DeathDecrease in US Cancer DeathsThe Best of Highlight HEALTH 2007 - The Year in ReviewQuitWinLive - The Great American SmokeoutSmoking Duration vs. Intensity and the Impact on Lung Cancer Risk (Source: Highlight HEALTH) Highlight HEALTH blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1156938 Thu, 17 Jan 2008 05:48:00 +0100 1156938 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1146448&cid=t_225035_87_f&fid=35057&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.orlandosentinel.com%2Ffeatures_healthblog%2F2008%2F01%2Ffda-starts-crac.html WASHINGTON (Associated Press) -- Government health officials began cracking down [this week] on Internet sales of custom-mixed hormones for menopausal women, a market born when doctors deemed prescription estrogen therapy too risky for many. But the Food and Drug Administration... (Source: Health Check the Blog) Health Check the Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1146448 Fri, 11 Jan 2008 11:12:00 +0100 1146448 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1140029&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F213970192%2F The agency sent warning letters to seven compounding pharmacies operations that their claims about the safety and effectiveness of their allegedly bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, or BHRT products, are unsupported by medical evidence, and are considered false and misleading. The move comes, partly, in response to a citizen’s petition filed by Wyeth, which wants to stop compounding pharmacies from making bioidentical versions of Prempro. In doing so, however, Wyeth caused a bit of a ruckus among women who oppose the use of the synthetic med, which has been the subject of lawsuits over ties to breast cancer. However, the FDA says these seven pharmacy operations improperly claim their drugs, which contain hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and estriol (which is not a com... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1140029 Wed, 09 Jan 2008 19:51:12 +0100 1140029 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=736397&cid=t_225035_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F134219100%2F Shortly before the trial was set to begin this morning, the drugmaker agreed to end the Deutsch case by making an undisclosed payment. The case “has been resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties. The terms of the resolution and events leading up to it are confidential and sealed, so we won’t be able to provide any further comment on this case,” according to an e-mail from Wyeth spokesman Chris Garland. Ellen Deutsch, who took the hormone replacement therapy - and its predecessor, Premarin - for a total of seven years and was eventually diagnosed with breast cancer. Deutsch, who lives in Livingston, NJ, a New York suburb, was 55 at the time she was diagnosed. As with the handful of previous cases, which have resulted in a mixed bag for Wyeth, Deutsch’s lawy... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=736397 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:15:49 +0100 736397 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=716523&cid=t_225035_87_f&fid=34865&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecancerblog.com%2F2007%2F07%2F05%2Fhrt-is-it-worth-the-risks%2F Filed under: Breast Cancer, PreventionHormone Replacement Therapy is a controversial treatment for the sometimes severe symptoms of menopause which include hot flashes, mood swings, night sweats and weakened bones. There's been ongoing debates about the safety of such treatments, because HRT has, in some studies, been shown to increase a woman's risk of heart attacks and breast cancer. Yet some feel that these findings have been exaggerated and the benefits of HRT outweigh the risks. In fact, there's even a type of HRT designed to fight breast cancer.So what's my point here? It's this: If you're considering HRT, it's important to make an informed choice. Here's an article that sums up the issue of HRT, and as always, talk to your doctor about risks before taking any medicationRead |&n... The Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=716523 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 04:00:00 +0100 716523 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=687039&cid=t_225035_87_f&fid=35057&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.orlandosentinel.com%2Ffeatures_healthblog%2F2007%2F06%2Festrogen-may-pr.html Hormone replacement therapy may prevent hardening of the arteries - if women take it at the start of menopause. As reported in this week's New England Journal of Medicine, doctors found that women on estrogen pills were up to 40-percent... (Source: Health Check the Blog) Health Check the Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=687039 Thu, 21 Jun 2007 10:58:00 +0100 687039 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=612002&cid=t_225035_87_f&fid=34865&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecancerblog.com%2F2007%2F05%2F16%2Fpossible-cancer-risks-from-hrt-can-be-avoided%2F Filed under: Alternative Therapies, Daily newsIf you're going through menopause or are post-menopausal, are you on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to deal with hot flashes and other menopause situations? You're not alone, although many women are opting for more natural remedies that don't involve HRT.With recent information linking HRT to enhanced cancer risks, what are other solutions? In what seems like common knowledge, eating right (having a very strict and followed diet) and more exercise may be your ticket to minimizing the pain of being in menopause -- but without risking internal damage or elevating your risk of cancer in any form.The results of this study are fascinating and can be found here. What's your stance on HRT in light of recent news? Is a non-pharmacological approach t... The Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=612002 Wed, 16 May 2007 04:00:00 +0100 612002