Chevy Chase, MD, November 5, 2003-- New research published this month in the journal Endocrinology highlights a possible safe, future treatment for postmenopausal women. The research, which was conducted by doctors at Laval University in Quebec, Canada, found that EM-652, a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) given in association with an estrogen, may be effective at controlling hot flashes and preventing breast, uterine and ovarian cancer as well as osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

Additionally, the combination shows promise in potentially helping with brain function and preventing Alzheimer's disease with no risk or negative effect.

Over the past year, millions of women have become afraid and confused about the risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy following the results of the Women's Health Initiative Study (WHI), which found that women on the combination replacement estrogen and progestin have an increased risk (26 percent) of developing breast cancer. In light of these findings, the medical community has worked to determine the best way to treat the symptoms and risks of menopause, while researchers search for alternative therapies for the millions of women who used combination hormones to treat their menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes. Dr. Fernand Labrie and his colleagues in Quebec, Canada have now demonstrated that the next generation of menopausal therapy may lie in a combination of SERMs and estrogen, with the SERM preventing the potential risk of breast cancer caused by the estrogen.

Through three separate studies on rats, Dr. Labrie and his team sought to validate the promise of EM-652 as a postmenopausal treatment. The researchers treated different groups of rats with EM-652 and estrogen and measured the impact on the mammary gland and uterus. One study examined the effects of 17beta-estradiol, an estrogen and EM-652 alone and in combination.

The findings showed that when admin
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Contact: Marisa Lavine
mlavine@endo-society.org
301-941-0255
The Endocrine Society & The Hormone Foundation
5-Nov-2003

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