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A 112 million dollar punitive award says loudly that the jury was outraged by the "wanton and reckless conduct by Wyeth for peddling a cancer causing pill.The punitive damages were awarded to two breast cancer victims who took Wyeth's synthetic hormone, Prempro, all the while thinking itsafe. The jury was outraged that Wyeth ignored and suppressed evidence that Prempro causes breast cancer. Wyeth paid consultants and ghostwriters of medical journal articles to play down concerns about breast cancer, and declined to study known risks. Once again, company profit was placed ahead of patient safety. This is the tip of the iceberg, as another ten thousand cases are waiting for their day in court.
Women's Health Initiative Bombshell
Seven years ago, a bombshell appeared in the medical literature, and massive numbers of women switched from Prempro to safer bio-identical hormones. This was the 2002 WHI study which showed that PremPro causes breast cancer. This massive shift away from synthetic Prempro reduced breast cancer rates dramatically. (NEJM Volume 356:1670-1674 April 19, 2007 Number 16), and women shifted to safer and more effective bioidentical hormones.
This Prempro court case teaches us an important lesson. When a "Bad Drug" like Prempro gets FDA approval and placed on the market, what happens? The public is hoodwinked, and the drug company profits handsomely. The wheels of justice turn slowly. After 65 years and thousands of victims, our court system has finally ended a bad drug, in this case, a synthetic hormone called Prempro.
Another Important Lesson - Don't Use Synthetic Hormones
Another important lesson from this case is that synthetic hormones like Prempro, which are chemically altered versions of human hormones, are all "Monster Hormones" which should never have been approved by the FDA in the first place. Any alteration in a chemical structure of a hormone creates a Monster, and in the case of Prempro, the result is increased cancer and heart disease.
Changed Chemical Structure Results in Monster Hormones
The drug companies changed the chemical structure of human hormones to obtain patent protection and maximize profits. Human bioidentical hormones cannot be patented because they are found naturally in the human body, therefore they are not profitable for the drug companies.
Just Another Round in the Medical Information War
Drug companies routinely use their influence to control information in the mainstream media and the medical journals. They downplay adverse side effects of their products in order to maximize profits. This is merely part of the Medical Information War played out in the media every day.
Bioidentical Hormones Vindicated as Safe and Effective
This case highlights another important lesson. While the chemically altered synthetic hormones like Prempro are dangerous, the original version from nature, called Bioidentical hormones are safe, effective and beneficial for health. Read more about the evidence for safety, and health benefits of bio-identical hormones here:
The Importance of BioIdentical Hormones
The Safety Of Bio-Identical Hormones
The Evidence for Bio-Identical Hormones
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