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Hormone therapy market rallies

...Marketers of transdermal therapies have seen increases in market share, and analysts say losses from the oral component of the hormone therapy market may be offset by transdermal therapies.

Analysts do not believe, however, that there will be substantial growth from the hormone therapy category in the coming years.

After results from the Women’s Health Initiative were released in 2002, sales of Premarin, The study results found that hormone replacement therapy reduced the risk of osteoporotic fractures and colon cancer but increased the risk of heart disease, stroke, breast cancer, and blood clots, with overall risks outweighing the benefits.

These negative results led to a dramatic reduction in the use of oral hormone therapies.

"Nothing is radically going to change in the market except for more convenient formulations or lower side effects, but nothing will drastically change the market in terms of better efficacy or better safety," says Patrick Rajan, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology industry analyst and team leader, Frost & Sullivan (frost.com).

"Basically what we see is that although the oral component of the market has taken a big hit and still will not recover to the level it used to be, we’ll see that offset by increased sales of the transdermal component." Wyeth’s Premarin franchise, which comprises Premarin,

Beasley fighting drug company

...Wyeth and Qualitest, their managers and sales representatives "encouraged the use of these drugs to improper customers and misrepresented their products as to their safety, efficacy, and harmful side effects" to increase sales."There was a motive for improper long-term usage and dangerous high dosage," Beasley said.

"This is yet another case of profits over public safety and duping doctors as well as consumers.

Consequently, there are a tremendous number of women who have had breast cancer."The lawsuit details that Wyeth has promoted and marketed its menopausal hormone therapy products since 1942, emphasizing long-term use of these medications.

Through an expensive and expansive decades-long marketing and advertising campaign, Wyeth convinced doctors and the public that menopause is a disease requiring drug treatment rather than the natural process of aging.

"Wyeth and Qualitest knew of the significant risks associated with menopausal hormone therapy, but failed to warn consumers of such risks," Beasley added.

"These risks include breast cancer, ovarian cancer, heart attacks, strokes, deep vein thromboembolisms, pulmonary embolisms, gallbladder cancer and non-Hodgkins lymphoma, among other side effects."This is the first case of this sort filed in Alabama.

Most of the cases thus far have been in the home place of the drug company.

"We look forward to trying this case in Alabama," Beasley said.

Those wanting a copy of the complaint can co...

Hearing focuses on tests for drug’s users

... Meanwhile, attorneys for women who’ve used The arguments were part of a pretrial hearing, which began Wednesday in the Little Rock courtroom of U.S.

District Judge Bill Wilson Jr., to determine whether a lawsuit against J.-based Wyeth — can qualify as a class action.

Such a class-action suit would include the millions of women who took The hearing had been set to conclude Friday, but Wilson has asked to hear the attorneys’ closing arguments on a later date that hasn’t yet been determined.

The lawsuit asks for Wyeth to fund a medical-monitoring program that would screen former The women in the lawsuit also want the pharmaceutical company to return the money they spent on the drug.

The lawsuit claims Wyeth falsely advertised the drug and misrepresented its risks.

It follows a Women’s Health Initiative study of hormone-replacement drugs such as This week’s pretrial hearing was not intended to decide the merits of the case.

Instead, to qualify for class-action cert...

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