Stetson & Premarin Horses
“Nothing has been, or ever will be, appealing or beneficial about the PMU industry and the Premarin family of drugs; they are clearly harbingers of death from both sides of the equation.” --Jane Allin
The Pregnant Mare Urine (PMU) Drug Industry
Our beautiful Stetson came into this world as a byproduct of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) drugs, like Premarin, made from pregnant mare urine (PMU). As far as the drug maker was concerned, he was disposable. Like hundreds of thousands of foals born in this dirty business, he would have been terrified when taken away from his mother shortly after birth. Like hundreds of thousands of mares trapped in this vicious cycle, losing newborn after newborn would have been traumatic for his mother. Mares are imprisoned in a perpetual state of pregnancy for the estrogen content of their urine. This is the reality of producing animal-derived drugs like Premarin to relieve the symptoms of menopause in women. This is happening despite the development of generic, synthetic, and bioidentical alternatives that have eliminated the need for Premarin-type drugs all together.
In 2002, demand for Premarin in the US plummeted when a study showed the increased health risks these drugs carry. Contracts with most North American PMU farms were terminated. The whole thing might have ended had the drug maker, now Pfizer, not moved operations to China. The market opened to many millions more menopausal women in a country with lax regulations and little in the way of animal protection laws. It’s easier than ever to make an already dangerous drug to sell to women abroad at the expense of horses.
Some American doctors, oblivious to decades of research and development, still prescribe Premarin-type drugs to patients today. For Pfizer, the continual settlement of lawsuits with people harmed by these drugs does not outweigh the value of marketing them across the country. FDA approval of a Premarin-based drug to treat osteoporosis opened a new postmenopausal market. Along with Stetson, our ambassador for PMU Awareness, we ask you to please speak out against the cruelty. There is no excuse for the suffering of PMU mares and foals when so many good and effective alternatives are available.
Check out the article below from HumaneDecisions.com for more information
How you can Help
1) Do not take any drugs in the Premarin family. Ask your doctor to prescribe one of the plant- based and synthetic alternatives that are just as effective.
2) Know the facts about Premarin. Increased awareness reduces demand. Not nearly enough women taking PMU drugs know about the cruelty involved with production. Please print this excellent resource from Last Chance for Animals and share it so women know what to avoid.
3) Print out and share this letter for your gynecologist, another great resource from Humane Decisions. Ask them to learn about the animal cruelty involved in collecting pregnant mare urine and prescribe a synthetic or plant-based alternative.
4) Contact the CEO/Chairman of Pfizer at Global Corporate Headquarters:
Dr. Albert Bourla / Pfizer Inc. / 235 E. 42nd Street / New York, NY 10017 / Email: albert_bourla@pfizer.com / Tel: (212)733-2323
5) Boycott Pfizer Products and encourage your friends & family to do the same!
· Most Commonly Used Over-the-Counter Brands:
Centrum Brand, Advil, Chapstick, Neosporin, Preparation II, Robitussin
· Most Commonly Used Prescribed Drugs:
Celebrex, Effexor, Lipitor, Lyrica, Viagra, Xanax, Zoloft, COVID bivalent vaccine
· There are more than 200 drugs manufactured by Pfizer. Read the labels and buy another company’s products, whenever possible!
Additional PMU Resources and Links:
· PETA: Premarin RX Study
· One Green Planet: Heartbreaking Truth About the Treatment of Horses Used to Produce Estrogen Replacement Drugs
· Metopets Online: Premarin and Horse Slaughter: The Hidden Story
· All Creatures: A Look at a PMU Farm in China
· Tuesday’s Horse: The History of Pfizer’s Premarin Family of Drugs
· Jane Allin Horse Pee Reduces Breast Cancer Risk. Say What?