Horses are closely linked with the medication Premarin: The drug's main ingredient is horse urine -- more specifically, pregnant-horse urine. Horse farms located throughout western Canada produce a great percentage of the Premarin sold across the globe. This medication is most often prescribed in the treatment of moderate to severe symptoms associated with menopause. Millions of women have taken Premarin regularly since it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) around World War II.
Premarin
The drug Premarin begins with the urine of pregnant horses. Premarin is estrogen hormone therapy. These tablets can help women manage and get relief from menopause symptoms such as night sweats and hot flashes. The estrogen level drop associated with menopause contributes to bone loss in women. Premarin also reduces a woman's chances of developing osteoporosis by raising estrogen levels in the body. This medication is prescribed to women who have had their uterus removed.
Wyeth
Wyeth is a pharmaceutical manufacturing company that was bought by Pfizer Inc. in 2009. This company has been manufacturing Premarin since the FDA approved it in 1942. Wyeth has made billions of dollars in profits from Premarin since sales began. Premarin-related revenues topped $2 billion alone in 2001. Hundreds of farmers, primarily in western Canada, were under direct contract with Wyeth in the early 2000s. Tens of thousands of horses were bred annually on Wyeth farms.
Conflict
The idea and practice of using pregnant horses for the production of Premarin has always met with severe opposition. For most of the years of production, pregnant mares were confined for over 20 hours each day in narrow stalls for up to five months at a time. Urine collection devices were hooked to these horses all the while to collect urine for Premarin production. Most of these horses were thrown into the same process immediately after giving birth. Foals were usually sold at auction either for recreational use or for slaughter, as horse meat sells well in Japanese and European markets.
Dosing
Women who have been prescribed Premarin should take the medication only as prescribed. Doctors work to ensure they prescribe as low a dose as possible, which is why Premarin is available in five different strengths. Low-dose Premarin options are available to women requiring a milder dose of the medication. Premarin 0.3mg and Premarin 0.45mg are Pfizer's two low-dose Premarin options.
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