HRT Maker's PR Activities Raise Concern

June 4, 2003

HRT MAKER'S PR ACTIVITIES RAISE CONCERN

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that a booklet put out by the

Australasian Menopause Society that " suggested [hormone replacement

therapy] could prevent heart disease, Alzheimer's and ageing skin,

yet ... failed to mention the established side-effect of blood

clots, or the accumulating evidence that the drugs were causing

heart disease " was drafted by HRT manufacturer, Wyeth, and its PR

firm, Hill & Knowlton. HRT's revenues for Wyeth are $3 billion a

year. With the release of a major study that reports a particular

combination of hormones are twice as likely to lead to dementia for

older women, the Herald writes, " there is more concern about

Wyeth's behind-the-scenes activities. Scientists who conducted the

dementia study are concerned that the company secretly briefed

selected medical societies long before today's JAMA paper was out,

in order to allow those societies plenty of time to prepare

positions for the PR battle that is certain to erupt. "

SOURCE: Sydney Morning Herald, May 28, 2003

More web links related to this story are available at:

To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:

Gettingwell- / Vitamins, Herbs, Aminos, etc.

To , e-mail to: Gettingwell-

Or, go to our group site: Gettingwell

Free online calendar with sync to Outlook.

Recommended Posts