This is par for the course for this industry. Money before all else same as the banks, MP's etc.

I am a retired pharmacist who practised in Southern Africa and can assure everyone that the effects of this scam are global and not merely restricted to the USA..

The real scam perpetrated was 2 fold;.

1. Premarin (oestrogen) is derived from animal sources and was pushed by Wyeth because they claimed that this decreased the life threatening embolism when compared to synthetic oestrogen.

2. The main selling point was not cosmetic (ageing etc) but osteoporosis (thining of the bone). Roughly a third of post menopausal women suffer this terrible condition. Since there is no method to determine whether a woman is a candidate apart from familial history, they hit on the idea that every woman should receive hormone supplements indefinitely to preclude this. Their main selling point was; use Premarin because statistically it is less likely to cause an embolism. There is also evidence that women are less likely to suffer embolism related diseases than their male counterparts pre-menopause and they presented evidence (along with others) that endogenous hormones (oestrogen/progesterone) impart a natural protection. They of course quietly ignored the fact that in the '70's they manufactured a high dose premarin injectable for use in cases of severe haemorrhage.

Way back in the 50's when these companies were starting out many countries insisted (some still do) that the Managing Director was a registered Pharmacist. As such that professional is subject to disciplinary action for acts that are harmful to his patient. Throughout the West the Pharma's persuaded Governments that this is not necessary and they are responsible people.

As many have said it's time to start criminal proceedings against the people responsible. There will be hundreds of women out there who have died as a result of this scam. It's time for Governments to demonstrate to these thieves and crooks that there are consequences for this behaviour and see that they are dealt with by the Courts. So those of you that live in the USA it's time to contact your political reps and show them that its time to care.

I work in a hotel; take the soap and put it to good use because when the cleaner walks in, it goes into a black bag for disposal. Would you use soap someone else had used?

Any health professional knows or should know this. Fructose (aka Corn syrup) is derived from Sucrose (table sugar) by cleaving the molecule and yielding 50% fructose and 50% glucose. Fructose has been recommended for use by diabetics for many years when they go into hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar levels) as it can be used immediately with no biochemical modifications by the body. Fructose is found naturally in many fruits. It is a major ingredient of most soft drinks and the first to use it was the famous American soda C*** Cola. It is also the main ingredient of most sport energy drinks.

Unfortunately it seems that the popular media seems to think that fat in the diet is the major reason for obesity, particularly in the UK where there is seldom any attention given to carbohydrates of any type. Carbohydrates are the major cause of obesity in almost all societies. Just examine the metabolic pathway of the body to understand why. The body uses the easiest pathway to generate energy and the quickest is fructose. The body's common fuel is glucose. In normal times there should be sufficient glucose intake (mostly derived from the breakdown of complex carbohydrates like flour and potatoes) to supply the body's needs. When the body has more glucose than it needs it produces it's own starch called glycogen which is then stored (mainly in the liver). There is obviously an exchange process at work all the time. When the body is low on glucose it will convert glycogen to glucose. When there are excessive supplies of glycogen and glucose it will convert the glycogen into fat for storage around the body. In states of energy deficiency the body will use its own protein.

In the developed world where people have moved from a state of survival into a state of excess they consume excessive quantities of carbohydrates, fats and salt. The energy pathway described above is a simplistic view but the body will always use the simplest route to energy. It will use sugar first, then complex carbohydrates and then protein. Fat will mostly be sent to storage. Because most of us consume to much carbohydrate we gain weight through the conversion to starch and fat. Anyone who has been on a diet will know that weight loss occurs in stages as the body starts to mobilise the glycogen and fat stores which take a while to convert in significant quantities.