Prempro, Premarin Named in Another Lawsuit
A Virginia breast cancer survivor is one of 10,000 women who have filed suit against Pfizer Inc. and its Wyeth division alleging that the hormone therapy drugs Prempro and Premarin caused their disease.
Tina Griffin of Manassas began taking Prempro and Premarin in 1996, and was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002.While she is now cancer free, Griffin only has limited use of her right arm because of the surgeries.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Griffin said she would like to see the drugs taken off the market, and she wants Wyeth and Pfizer to take responsibility for the alleged injuries they caused. Griffin’s lawsuit is seeking damages to cover medical bills as well as pain and suffering
The same year Griffin was diagnosed, a major study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) determined that Prempro, Premarin and similar drugs significantly increased the risk of stroke, blood clots, heart attacks and breast cancer.
The authors of the study suggested that many of the women who used the medications should quit and talk to their doctors about alternatives. The results were so alarming that the NIH canceled the study, citing risk to the study’s participants.
