American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and North American Menopause Society Fail to Disclose Financial Ties to Wyeth Pharm...( Organizations Support Wyeth Campa...),Health

Organizations Support Wyeth Campaign to Eliminate Compounded Hormones

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists (IACP) today called on the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) and the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) to fully disclose their financial ties to Wyeth when dispensing advice to patients and practitioners that directly benefits the pharmaceutical giant. In recent weeks, AACE, NAMS and other supposedly independent women's health organizations have voiced public support for Wyeth's campaign to restrict women's access to compounded, bio-identical hormones. Unfortunately, these organizations consistently fail to disclose their financial ties to the drug maker when voicing their support.

In January 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it will restrict compounded, bio-identical hormones containing one form of estrogen - estriol. This is something Wyeth and its surrogates asked for in October 2005. Unfortunately, the FDA's policy hurts women and helps Wyeth.

As these organizations voice their support for FDA's move, media and the public should be aware that they receive money from Wyeth. Some examples of these ties follow, and more can be found at http://www.compoundingfacts.org.

North American Menopause Society (NAMS)

On November 15, 2006, Dr. Wulf Utian, executive director of NAMS, appeared on CNN's Larry King Live to defend Wyeth's position. Concerning his relationship with Wyeth, Dr. Utian stated: "I am not funded by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. I'm not." His declaration is patently false.

Wyeth endows a $200,000 lectureship fund named for Dr. Utian and was named a "Partner in Menopause Education" (requiring a contribution of at least $8,000) for the NAMS' 2007 Annual Meeting. Additionally, half of NAMS's Board of Trustees for 2007-2008 re
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