A huge 8½ year assessment of hormone replacement therapy (HRT)* was put on ice when significant increased risk of breast cancer, heart attack, strokes and blood clots became evident. The particular combination of oestrogen and progestin under review is found in the HRT drug Premarin, the most prescribed drug in the US 1992-99 and possibly the most prescribed drug ever.

The findings support the recent American Heart Association recommendation that postmenopausal women should not use HRT to lower their risk of heart disease.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found the same increased risks. In the case of blood clots, the risk was threefold.

Ed.- (i) The UK’s Medical Research Council has decided that an almost identical trial involving 5,000 women should continue provided the women are informed about the newly discovered raised risks

(ii) The US study covered 16,068 women aged 50 to 79 with intact uteruses.