Premarin Lawsuit and Side
Effect Information

Premarin Overview

Premarin (and companion drug Prempro) are made by drug giant Wyeth. Premarin is a compound drug consisting of conjugated estrogens from a pregnant mare's urine. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and marketed by Wyeth since 1942, it's available in oral tablets, IV and topical forms. It was such a popular drug that an estimated 8 million women worldwide took it.

In 1992 alone it rang in with sales of over $642 million, 14 percent of Wyeth's $4.5 billion revenue for that year. Sales dropped over the years as more doctors learned Premarin was strongly suspected of causing endometrial cancer.

Wyeth needed to do something to revive Premarin, so they created Prempro - a combination hormone (estrogen/progestin) therapy that would protect against endometrial cancer, protect the heart, the bones, avoid Alzheimer's, protect against depression and revive sexuality. It sounded like the Fountain of Youth, but didn't live up to expectations. This is why thousands of Premarin lawsuits were initiated.

Rarely, Premarin is used in treating cancer, but is not recommended to prevent heart disease or dementia, as this drug reportedly increases the chances of getting those two diseases. All this information is typically used in a Premarin lawsuit.

Premarin Side Effects & Other Problems

There are numerous side effects to be aware of with Premarin including heart attacks, strokes, blood clots, abnormal vaginal bleeding, swollen stomach, migraines, confusion or memory problems, swelling of the extremities, jaundice and breast lumps.

Other less serious side effects are nausea, darkening of facial skin, weight fluctuations, tender breasts, vaginal discharge or itching, changes in your period, lower libido, headaches and dizziness. It's only the more serious side effects that are emphasized in a Premarin lawsuit.

In cases of women who have had hysterectomies, Premarin is usually prescribed because of estrogen's reported link in causing uterine cancer. Premarin's sister drug Prempro is generally given to women who still have their uterus, as it contains estrogen and progestin. The progestin is said to prevent the uterine lining from overgrowth, the precursor to cancer. It's the cancer that has prompted many women to file Premarin lawsuits.

In 2002 the National Cancer Institute ran a study involving Premarin. The results indicated an increased risk of ovarian cancer. The study followed 44,241 women for 20 years and showed that women using just estrogen had twice the risk of developing ovarian cancer. Women who used the drug longer were 3 times more likely to develop cancer.

In 2004 another study, this one carried out by the National Institutes of Health, halted a clinical trial of 11,000 women using estrogen only (Premarin) hormone replacement therapy when it was discovered the pills were linked to higher rates of strokes. Some of the women involved in these studies launched a Premarin lawsuit.

Then in 2007 the Institute of Safe Medication Practices and the Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine carried out an interesting review of the FDA's most dangerous drugs. The results showed estrogen as the most dangerous drug on the market with some of the highest number of adverse events during treatment.

The Safe Medication Practices study received information from the FDA that showed estrogen was considered to be the number one drug to cause disability or other extremely serious outcomes. The statistics were quite shocking and revealed that estrogen caused over 11,514 serious health problems over the 8-year study period.

Other studies have indicated Premarin may also be linked to Lupus, Scleroderma, and Gallbladder Cancer. It's no wonder thousands of women filed a Premarin lawsuit.

Lawsuits of note against Wyeth have been and are for:

* Duramed Pharmaceuticals - antitrust lawsuit Premarin
* Enbrel/Etanercept - relieves joint swelling with rheumatoid arthritis, possibly caused over 1,000 deaths in 8 years
* Prempro - class action lawsuit for hormone replacement therapy
* Duract - short-term pain reliever
* Norplant - implantable contraceptive
* Fen Phen - diet drug with deadly side effects
* Thimerosal - a preservative containing mercury
* PPA/phenylpropanolamine - hemorrhagic stoke, cough and cold medicines and OTC weight loss products
* Generic Effexor XR (depression, anti-anxiety, patent infringement)
* Prevnar (pediatric meningitis, manufacturing improprieties)
* Protonix/Pantoprazole (acid reflux, patent infringement)
* Phenergan (allergies, pediatric complications)

Premarin Lawsuits

Wyeth is facing a long list of more than 5,300 lawsuits that only started hitting the courts in 2006. Most of the lawsuits cause of action alleges Wyeth failed to adequately warn consumers about Premarin's breast cancer risks.

In 2007 a Nevada jury handed out $134.5 million to three women who developed breast cancer using Premarin and Prempro. The lawsuits kept being filed and Wyeth made changes to its warning label (but this didn't stop the lawsuits from coming).

In 2008 an Arkansas jury decided Premarin helped cause breast cancer in a Little Rock woman. The award was $19 million in compensation and punitive damages. A Nevada court ruled against Wyeth for similar reasons handing out $58 million in damages.

If you or a loved one has been seriously harmed by Premarin, contact a lawyer to find out what your legal rights are and to discuss filing a Premarin lawsuit.




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