Is this the “final blow” for hormone replacement therapy? Very unlikely
Won’t Get Fooled Again
Oh no you don’t. We’re not falling for this one again.
In an LA Times report about the latest health risk linked to hormone replacement therapy we’re told that this new finding “may be the final blow.”
A final blow? Sure, just toss it on that big pile of final blows over there.
This newest “final blow” is either wildly optimistic or wildly naive. Either way, I’ll make this safe prediction: It’s wildly off the mark.
Seems like we’ve been here before
If you’re not getting that old déjà vu feeling all over again, then you haven’t been following the past seven years of HRT follies.
For those of you who may be new to this insanity, here’s a quick recap…
In 2002, the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) clinical trial was shut down after researchers discovered that synthetic hormone replacement therapy (estrogen plus progestin, made by Wyeth) increased risk of invasive breast cancer.
Once the box was open, all kinds of monsters came rolling out. Since 2002, WHI-related research has revealed links between synthetic HRT use and higher risk of dementia, stroke, and heart disease.
Women who take HRT are now advised to do so for “the shortest time possible.” But how long is that? One dose, then stop? Actually, that’s a good idea. In the e-Alert “Red Flags” (4/3/08), I included this Associated Press quote: “Heart risks during the study were highest soon after women started taking hormones.”
So let’s see…that’s one, two, three, four blows. And any one of them would suffice as the final blow.
Now we have final blow number five. New research shows that lung tissue has estrogen receptors. So when lung cancer is present and a patient takes HRT, those receptors accelerate cancer cell growth. The synthetic estrogen also appears to support development of tiny blood vessels that cancer cells require to flourish.
Well, you know the old saying: Five strikes and…you’re still in business!
Publish or perish
So why IS Wyeth still in business with this dangerous drug? Even more mystifying is why doctors would continue to prescribe this stuff.
Maybe it’s the reading material.
Most of us don’t read medical journals. But doctors do. And over the past few years, amid all the disastrous revelations about synthetic HRT, doctors have been reading occasional journal articles in which this menopause treatment is touted as safe and effective.
This contradiction suddenly made perfect sense when a recent New York Times report disclosed the contents of court documents from several lawsuits against Wyeth. (As you might expect, there are thousands of these HRT-related suits in progress.)
According to the Times, between 1998 and 2005, Wyeth executives paid a medical communications firm to write 26 scientific papers that hyped the benefits and minimized the risks of HRT. The papers were published in several journals, including The International Journal of Cardiology and The American Journal of Obstetrics.
This deeply unethical practice isn’t illegal, but it’s actually somewhat common. Prominent doctors agree to allow their names to appear as authors of the articles. So if an unsuspecting physician reads one of the HRT articles and takes it at face value, he’s likely to feel more comfortable about recommending the drug, despite the miserable reputation.
One of those 26 articles described synthetic HRT as the “gold standard” for hot flash treatment.
The difference? Gold doesn’t increase heart disease risk, invasive breast cancer risk, etc.
For those of you who are keeping count, I think we can call this ghostwriting scam final blow number six, with final blow seven probably coming along in a year or so. We’ll catch up again then!
Sources:
“Hormone Therapy Nearly Doubles Risk of Death from Lung Cancer, Study Says” Thomas H. Maugh II, LA Times, 9/20/09, latimes.com
“Medical Papers by Ghostwriters Pushed Therapy” Natasha Singer, New York Times, 8/5/09, nytimes.com
