Who is responsible for damages from the side-effects of Prempro?
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth (NYSE:WYE), is responsible for the predominance of the side-effects of Prempro and the injuries being pursued in Prempro litigation. Menopausal and postmenopausal women have been repeatedly and erroneously over prescribed by their physicians indicating that Prempro should be taken indefinitely. Inappropriate Prempro labeling that failed to fully describe the side-effects of Prempro and long-term dosage has created many serious and life threatening health risks for women. It is the responsibility of the drug manufacturer to protect women from harmful Prempro injury and to warn of the side effects of Prempro.
Prempro litigation began after an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (AMA) revealed that the side-effects of Wyeth’s Prempro included increased risk of probable dementia in postmenopausal women 65 years or older.
The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Memory Study enrolled 4,532 postmenopausal women free of probable dementia aged 65 years or older. Participants received either one daily Prempro tablet or a matching placebo in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
The results of the memory study showed the following side-effects of Prempro: 66 percent of the 61 women diagnosed with probable dementia were receiving Prempro. This staggering statistic gave an increased risk of an additional 23 cases of dementia per 10,000 women per year. Additionally, the results coupled with previously reported Women’s Health Initiative data suggest that the risks of Prempro injury outweigh the benefits. As such, this study has been central to describing the side-effects of Premprto that are at the heart of the Prempro litigation.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is thought to affect 10 percent of adults over 65 years old, with women at greater risk. One theory is that lower levels of estrogen may increase the risks of dementia in postmenopausal women. Numerous studies suggest that women taking HRT have less risk of dementia.
However, the vast majority of studies have failed to separate the use of estrogen alone and estrogen plus progestin and these latest results appear to contradict earlier findings. This raises the question as to which component of the drug is responsible for the side-effects of Prempro, such as increasing the risk of dementia. This debate is being played out in the courtrooms handling litigation involving the side-effects of Prempro.
Prempro has also previously come under fire following the termination of the WHI long-term study because of increased ovarian cancer risks, heart attacks, and strokes. Further investigation into the association of estrogen therapies and dementia is now warranted.
Monheit Law is investigating Prempro Cancer cases for long term users of Prempro who have developed either breast or ovarian cancer.
See: http://www.monheit.com/prempro/responsible.shtml
