We made the following response to a comment on our Premarin 2019 Timeline and thought it might be worthwhile sharing with everyone as a post. We have altered it slightly to make the content clearer for this format.
Working as the Int’l Fund for Horses we are launching a social media campaign in Chinese and English in China. We originally thought that might not work. How many mature Chinese women are on social media?
Then we found out that most Chinese females 40 and under have learned to read and write English. So that’s why we will send our social media messages in both English and Chinese. That will reach the younger women who have English who can alert their female elders; and the 40+ women who do not have English.
We are also lucky because we have been able to get images of some of the Chinese versions of Premarin type drugs. This will help enormously on social media such as Twitter which relies heavily on visuals to catch attention.
The hugely disappointing part is that it appears the Chinese were either given, or have stolen/recreated Pfizer’s “recipe” for Premarin drugs and are manufacturing it themselves. Those drugs will be harder to identify but we have contacts who are trying to help us with that too.
The side effects will eventually show up making women question the use of these drugs.
Additionally, we have a British contact living and working in Hong Kong who is creating dual language posters warning of the dangers of these drugs listing them in their various Chinese names. We will try them out on bus shelters and train station platforms to start with. We have always had good outreach numbers at these type locations in other countries.
VOLUNTEER
If you have ideas to share, or would like to help especially on social media such as Twitter, please use our contact form to get in touch with us.
FDA denies Pfizer Petition asking for new method of assessing Premarin generics
The FDA has denied a citizen petition from Pfizer calling on the agency to use the company’s method for assessing sameness in generics for its estrogen drug Premarin (conjugated “equine” estrogens).
Pfizer had appealed to the FDA to force sponsors of generics for Premarin to use the “Pfizer method” for assessing sameness rather than the method recommended in FDA draft guidance.
Pfizer logo (uncredited image)
Pfizer claimed that the FDA’s December 2014 draft guidance for establishing sameness is “fundamentally flawed”. Additionally claiming that not only does it lack a critical level of sensitivity on API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient) steroidal composition, but also it does not account for all classes of components in the API or the non-steroidal components.
They maintained that guidance should instead use the “Pfizer Method” that the company developed at the FDA’s request and with their input, which permits a determination of sameness between a proposed generic for the company’s drug Premarin and the reference drug based upon the mixture as a whole, while allowing a comparison across all categories of components making up the API.
APRIL 2019
Bijuva launched for moderate to severe hot flashes in menopause
TherapeuticsMD announced the launch of Bijuva (estradiol and progesterone) capsules for use in women with a uterus for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes) due to menopause. It initially received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October 2018.
Bijuva is the first bio-identical hormone therapy that combines estradiol and progesterone in a single capsule. Compared with synthetic hormone products, the estradiol and progesterone found in Bijuva are structurally identical to the hormones naturally circulating in the woman’s body.
Bijvua carries a Boxed Warning regarding cardiovascular disorders, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, and probable dementia. Breast tenderness, headache, vaginal bleeding, vaginal discharge, and pelvic pain were the most common adverse reactions associated with Bijuva.
JUNE 2019
PMU Ranchers feel pinch as cuts announced
Pfizer Canada’s cuts to pregnant mares’ urine production will force four Manitoba ranches and one Saskatchewan ranch out of the industry.
Belgian draft weanling. (uncredited image)
The reduction affects three ranches in southwestern Manitoba, one in the Interlake region of Manitoba, and one in Saskatchewan. Of those five, three producers raised registered Quarter horses, one bred purebred Percherons, and one raised sport horses.
Pfizer has initiated a review of its inventory management and determined they are able to satisfy market demand by working with fewer ranchers.
The latest reduction leaves 19 producers still involved in PMU production in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with most ranches located in southwestern Manitoba, four each in south-central Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan and one in the Interlake.
JULY 2019
Pfizer’s Wyeth loses bid to duck hormone-therapy lawsuit
Pfizer Inc’s Wyeth unit must face a class action alleging that the drugmaker misled California women by downplaying risks including breast cancer associated with its hormone-replacement therapy products, a federal judge has ruled.
U.S. District Judge John Houston in San Diego on Monday ruled the plaintiffs presented sufficient evidence for a jury to decide whether Wyeth’s alleged misrepresentations caused women to buy Prempro, Premarin and Premphase.
New Book — Flash Count Diary: Menopause and the Vindication of Natural Life, by Darcy Steinke
“What orcas can teach humans about menopause and matriarchs” — A new book argues for a sea change in the way our culture views older women.
Her research unearthed a long history of dubious “cures,” from transfusions of dog’s blood to vinegar sponge baths to putting a magnet in your underpants. All of which, she says, seem a little less strange once you realize that the most popular hormone replacement treatment, Premarin, is made from the urine of pregnant horses. Source: Crosscut »
Don’t sweat it. Take an alternative.
AUGUST 2019
Hormone therapy during menopause raises breast cancer risk for years, study finds
New analysis adds to the evidence that many women who take hormone therapy during menopause are more likely to develop breast cancer — and remain at higher risk of cancer for more than a decade after they stop taking the drugs.
The study, in the Lancet, looked at data from dozens of studies, including long-term data on more than 100,000 women who developed breast cancer after menopause. The longer women took the medicine, the more likely they were to develop breast cancer. Experts say the findings could shape how women and their health care providers decide how to manage symptoms of menopause.
For years, research has suggested a potential link between MHT and an increased risk of breast cancer. But there wasn’t much information on whether that risk persisted, or how it differed based on the type of MHT a woman took. So, an international group of researchers pulled together data from dozens of studies — published and unpublished — to examine the issue more closely.
The researchers found that compared with women who never used MHT, women who did had a significantly higher risk of developing invasive breast cancer. Also, the longer women used MHT, the greater their risk of breast cancer.
OCTOBER 2019
Premarin sales figures continue to decline
The Premarin family of hormone replacement products was the 11th best seller in 2018 at $832 million, a decline of 14.8 percent. Sales in the first six months of 2019 were $361 million, 10 percent less than in same period of 2018.
Third quarter sales of Premarin (conjugated estrogens tablets, USP) family — $182 million, down 11%.
Data as of 12.31.19
LEARN MORE
About Premarin Horses
Premarin®, Prempro®, Premphase® and Duavee® are examples of the Premarin® family of drugs which are made with the the estrogen rich urine of pregnant mares.
In the ‘pregnant mare urine’ (PMU) industry, horses are repeatedly impregnated so their urine can be collected and made into hormone replacement products.
Some of the foals are rescued. Most, however, who can not be ‘repurposed’ in some way are sent to slaughter — seen as a byproduct of the industry much like male calves are in the dairy industry.
Alternatives to PMU Drugs
There are many alternatives to drugs made from the urine of pregnant mares.
Visit the Fund for Horses website for alternatives to Premarin type drugs.
Talk to your doctor. Visit your local pharmacy. There are prescription free over-the-counter treatments for hot flashes, vaginal dryness and other menopausal symptoms.
(Dec. 26, 2019) — The Reuters news wire reports, after conducting a survey earlier this month with Ispos, a leading market research firm, that widely publicized racehorse deaths left 62% of respondents with at least a “somewhat less favorable” impression of horse racing in 2019.
Reuters/Ispos conducted their online survey on Dec. 18 and 19, reaching 1,005 American respondents, 741 of whom indicated they knew injured racehorses were sometimes euthanized.
Per Reuters, the survey “found that when horses die from race-related injuries,” 34% of respondents were left with “a lot less favorable” view of the sport, while 28% had a “somewhat less favorable” impression.” Another 37% indicated the deaths did not change their opinion of racing.
Industry response has been widespread, starting at Santa Anita Park, where last spring racing and training were halted for a closer examination into the spate of injuries. Conversation about medications, whips and other reform have resulted.
Reuters also polled its respondents about government involvement in racing. More than 53% said they support federal legislation to regulate drugs, with that a positive for the Horseracing Integrity Act that has gained bi-partisan backing in the U.S. House of Representatives.
31% of respondents said they weren’t sure about federal legislation, while 16% opposed it.
Currently, racing is overseen on a state-by-state basis, while the Horseracing Integrity Act seeks to form a private, independent horse racing anti-doping authority with uniform rules across the country.
Of course it’s not just about the racehorse killings at Santa Anita — which gets trotted out time and time again for scenarios like these — but the doping, physical abuse, mental abuse and brutal killings at all racetracks across the good ol’ USofA.
We are neutral on the Horseracing Integrity Act. We don’t care if it passes or not. However, there is one bonus for us if it does — horse racing will be regulated under one roof which will make the sport vulnerable, especially when the predictable in-fighting among the big owner groups begins.
Churchill Hill Downs Incorporated are against the Horseracing Integrity Act so it will not become law. They have their own plan, and it’s already well underway.
Nine people were indicted on Dec. 19 by a Parker County grand jury for operating an illegal horse racing meet in Springtown, Texas, located 30 miles northwest of Fort Worth.
The Parker County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division, Texas Racing Commission and other agencies discovered the illegal horse racing in October. Dozens of horses were involved, some racing more than twice during the same weekend. Police confiscated an unspecified amount of cash and also recovered a number of syringes, drug paraphernalia and electrical shocking devices used to stimulate horses to run faster.
“Some of the syringes were empty and some were full,” said Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler. “The substances are being tested for illegal substances, potentially harmful to equines. It allows a horse to be pushed to the limits under a race, but can cause serious health conditions and even result in the death of a horse.”
Police estimated more than 1,000 people were in attendance during the illegal races. No spectators were arrested. Some of those indicted are facing detainers from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
SO . . . ?
The concerns the Parker County Sheriff expressed about the mistreatment of horses in illegal horse racing, as admirable as that is, just so happens to occur as a matter of routine at licensed racetracks with licensed betting. Here again is what the Parker County Sheriff’s office reported:
“Police . . . also recovered a number of syringes, drug paraphernalia and electrical shocking devices used to stimulate horses to run faster.”
And . . .
“The substances are being tested for illegal substances, potentially harmful to equines. It allows a horse to be pushed to the limits under a race, but can cause serious health conditions and even result in the death of a horse . . .”
So you can get away with all that at a licensed racetrack — unlicensed you might get into trouble.
Source: The Weatherford Democrat (online), Dec 24, 2019.
