Menopause Drug Prempro Raises Death, Breast Cancer Risk, Report Says

By Jack Simony

A new report in The Journal of American Medical Association says the new menopause drug Prempo increases a woman's risk of beast cancer and makes them more likely to die of breast cancer, according to a report in USA Today.

The drug is said to calm hot flashes, and has a combination of the hormones estrogen and progestin, both used by 15 percent to 20 percent of postmenopausal women in the US.

The study was conducted by Rowan Chlebowski, of the Lost Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, as part of a government-sponsored project known as the Women's Health Initiative.

- By Jack Simony