THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 1, 1995 TAG: 9503010012
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
``Making Premarin not cruel to horses'' (letter, Feb. 22) was misleading. The reader was left with the false impression that Premarin, a conjugated estrogen derived from the urine of pregnant mares, is the only estrogen currently approved by the FDA.
There are plant-derived synthetic estrogens available, safe and approved. One example, OGEN (estropipate) is manufactured by the Upjohn Co.
I contacted Upjohn's information line and was told that estropipate is 60 percent estrone, which is chemically identical to endogenous human estrone. This estrone is synthesized from a vegetable source containing sitosterols.
Other sources of estrone have been extracted from the roots of the Mexican yam, Diascorea floribunda.
Even though more than 80 percent of women on estrogen replacement therapy are on conjugated estrogens, there is little in the literature that supports the advantage of one type of estrogen over the other if equivalent doses are used.
Many animal-rights and animal-welfare groups are trying to alert the American consumer to the plight of mares and their offspring in the production of Premarin. As profit takes priority, conditions for the animals used in producing consumer goods usually deteriorate. We see this in today's large factory farms, where tens of thousands of animals raised for food are housed in cramped, filthy conditions.
The USDA does little for the welfare of these animals, and I find it unrealistic to think it does much more for horses. Regardless of how the mares are housed or when their foals are removed, it is hard to justify the slaughter of up to 75,000 foals annually in the production of Premarin when safe alternatives are available.
Women who take Premarin do have a choice. Those who prefer a compassionate alternative should consider synthetic estrogen replacement and discuss this with their primary-care provider.
V. A. KURTZHALTS, R.N.
Norfolk, Feb. 23, 1995 by CNB