Patients, Doctors, Pharmacists Praise Bipartisan House Resolution on Compounded Hormones Containi...( MISSOURI CITY Texas May 7 - The ...),Health

MISSOURI CITY, Texas, May 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ - The International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists today joined hundreds of thousands of women and doctors in applauding the introduction of H. Con. Res. 342, a bipartisan resolution stating that "the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) new policy restricting women's access to medications containing estriol does not serve the public interest" and calling on the FDA to "reverse its policy."

Reps. Mike Ross (D-Ark.), Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), Sam Farr (D-Calif.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Michael Burgess (R-Texas), John Carter (R-Texas) and Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) introduced the resolution in the House of Representatives.

"We commend all of the sponsors for standing up for women and introducing H. Con. Res. 342," said L.D. King. "Women with menopause suffer enough. Fortunately, this resolution aims to provide them with some relief."

For decades, doctors have prescribed compounded hormones containing estriol to women suffering from the painful symptoms of menopause. IACP estimates that hundreds of thousands of women are prescribed these drugs today. FDA's policy would force these women to discontinue the hormone treatments that their doctors have determined is appropriate for them.

Wyeth petitioned the FDA in October 2005 to prohibit compounding pharmacists from preparing hormones that contain estriol on the grounds that doing so posed a "serious threat to public health." At the same time, though, Wyeth was marketing drugs containing estriol as "an ideal therapy" across Europe.

Wyeth's petition generated more than 70,000 responses, the overwhelming majority of which from women and doctors opposed to Wyeth's request. Unfortunately, FDA fulfilled Wyeth's request earlier this year when it announced that it would "halt" the compounding of compounded hormones containing estriol.

"FDA ignored the comments of tens of thousands of women and instead listened t
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