Prempro (conjugated estrogens/medroxyprogesterone acetate tablets) is a hormone replacement therapy (HRT) prescribed to treat post-menopausal hot flashes and other menopause symptoms. In 2001, approximately 22.3 million prescriptions were written for Prempro, manufactured by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc. In addition to the potential side effects of ovarian cancer, gallbladder cancer, lupus, scleroderma, severe asthma, and pulmonary embolisms, a major study concluded that long-term use of Prempro significantly increases the risk of stroke, blood clots, heart attack, and breast cancer.

These results were found in the nation's biggest hormone replacement study and were so alarming that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) prematurely canceled the study citing risk to the study's participants. As a result, the study is suggesting that many of the women who use Prempro and other estrogen and progestin combinations should quit and talk to their doctors about alternatives.

The evidence is clear that Prempro and other estrogen-progestin combinations can actually harm perfectly healthy women. The study determined that women who were given Prempro were more likely to develop serious problems compared to those in the placebo group. The statistics of side effects are alarming:

• 26% increase in breast cancer
• 41% increase in strokes
• 100% increase in blood clots
• 22% increase in incidents of cardiovascular disease

Prempro accounted for about $890 million of Wyeth Pharmaceutical's $13.9 billion in sales in 2001.