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Alyson Dutch, 310.456.7151

BROWN & DUTCH PUBLIC RELATIONS, INC.

 

 

LAST CHANCE FOR ANIMALS, THE “FBI OF ANIMAL RIGHTS,”

CLAIMS VICTORY FOR 40,000 HORSES

Pharmaceutical Giant, Wyeth Ayerst, Cuts Back Premarin

Production 50%

 

Los Angeles, CA, October 14, 2003 – Following the summer release of Last Chance for Animals’ (LCA) investigation that exposed how the #1 selling hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drug Premarin is made, the drug’s manufacturer Wyeth Ayerst (www.wyeth.com), stunningly announced this morning a 50% cut back in the production of the drug. The cutback will save 20,000 mares from having to stand in tight stalls during their 150-day gestation period, while their urine is collected to make the drug, and will save another 20,000 foals from going to the slaughterhouse. The statement rocked the Los Angeles headquarters of the “FBI of Animal Rights.”  The cutback, according to the Brandon Sun (Manitoba, Canada, home to Wyeth’s headquarters), is effective immediately.

 

Last Chance for Animals partly credited the cut-back to pressure they applied with a “How Premarin is Made” publicity campaign this summer. The high profile drive re-introduced the July 10th anniversary of the National Institute of Health’s study on Premarin which showed usage of the drug increases incidences of breast cancer (24%), heart attack (29%), stroke (41%) and blood clots (100%).  “This summer’s news identified Premarin as the source for the most voracious of the cancer strains,” said LCA founder, Chris DeRose, “and the drug is connected to higher incidences of dementia. All this has contributed to Wyeth’s struggle to recover from the 40% sales plummet the drug has endured since 2002.”

 

The cut back was a major victory for animal rights and for the 36% of the current US population who are women aged *45+ entering into or already in menopause and indeed a tribute to the 1,000,000 horses whom have perished in the history of Premarin production.  “We commend Wyeth for taking this brave step,” said Chris DeRose,  “and hope the public continues to pressure Wyeth about the dangers of this drug and the disturbing manner in which the active ingredient is harvested from pregnant mares’ urine.  After working with noted women’s menopausal specialist and best-selling author on the subject, Dr. Jesse Hanley, we can say with certainty that there are alternative methods to curbing menopausal symptoms without torturing animals and threatening women’s lives.”

 

Founded in 1984 by Chris De Rose, Last Chance for Animals (http://www.LCAnimal.org/) is the “FBI of Animal Rights,” a national, nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to ending animal exploitation and suffering.

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