Page 23
pound medication that the BMS
and RCOG took the unusual step
of releasing a joint warning.
They said that cBHRT may not
be sterile if packed improperly
and that women may not be pre-
scribed the correct dose.
There is also a lack of scientific
testing in the compounded prod-
uct, and the risks of using the
treatment are not clearly outlined
on the label.
Experts advised women to use
regulated bioidentical HRT
(rBHRT), which is available on
the NHS and licensed by the med-
icines regulator.
The warnings come just days
after the Daily Mail reported that
shortages of HRT medication were
forcing desperate women to seek
menopause treatment abroad.
Most Evorel patches – the UK
market leader – have disappeared
from shelves and women are buy-
ing patches in bulk for their friends
while on holiday in Spain.
Haitham Hamoda of the BMS
told The Guardian: ‘Every expert
in the field shares the same view
and concerns about compounded
hormones: it’s unsafe, untested
and unnecessary.
‘We are concerned by its purity,
potency and safety. You can get
bioidentical HRT on the NHS
[but] the key thing is that it’s not
compounded... rBHRT is pre-
scribed and manufactured under
very strict regulations. In con-
trast, there is no medical evidence
to support cBHRT.’
He added that compounded
products can cause a cancer risk
because the dose of oestrogen
may be higher or lower than nec-
essary to control symptoms of the
menopause, and the dose of pro-
gesterone may not be enough to
protect the womb.
But London’s Marion Gluck
Clinic, which specialises in the
compounded hormone treatment,
defended the therapy.
It said it is registered with the
Care Quality Commission and
that cBHRT was always carried
out under the strict supervision of
a qualified pharmacist on a named
patient basis.
The popularity of the compound
medication grew following reports
in 2002 that conventional HRT
carried a cancer risk.
Promotion of the product as
being safer than rBHRT was
banned by the Advertising Stand-
ards Authority two years ago.
AN increasingly popular
type of HRT medication is
unsafe and could even
increase the risk of cancer,
experts warned last night.
Women were told to avoid
using combinations of hor-
mones, tailor-made for each
individual in private clinics,
known as compounded bio-
identical hormone replacement
therapy (cBHRT).
The expensive, unregulated
treatment has risen in popularity
due to aggressive marketing to
consumers. In addition, getting
hold of commonly-prescribed
HRT drugs from the NHS has
become increasingly difficult due
to shortages – even driving some
women to shop online and over-
seas for their medication.
More than half of women on
HRT are prescribed patches to
alleviate crippling menopause
symptoms, which are applied once
or twice a week below the waist.
Experts at the British Meno-
pause Society (BMS) and the
Royal College of Obstetricians
and Gynaecologists (RCOG) have
warned of potential impurities in
cBHRT. Such is the concern about
the increasing use of the com-
By George Odling
By Eleanor Sharples
Ship mates: David and Victoria with Sir Elton and David Furnish
Picture: MEGA
Out for the count: Beckham takes a nap
ELTON John and Victoria
Beckham decided to
hang back yesterday as
they watched their chil-
dren dive into the water
- along with Victoria’s
husband David.
The Beckham clan
joined Sir Elton, 72, his
husband David Furnish,
56, and their sons Zach-
ary, eight, and Elijah, six,
on the family’s yacht in
the Cote d’Azur.
David, 44, took the hand
of his daughter Harper,
eight, as they plunged
into the water to cool off.
The former England cap-
tain’s friendship with Sir
Elton goes back for more
than two decades.
Paying tribute to the
pop legend on Insta-
gram, he wrote: ‘Gor-
geous day with Elton
John and David Furnish –
24 years we have known
each other and we laugh
like it’s day one.’
The ex-midfielder was
later snapped snoozing
in a rather bold £930
Versace shirt by his fash-
ion designer wife, 45.
She shared the photo-
graph online with the
caption: ‘Kisses.’
Daily Mail, Tuesday, August 27, 2019
QQQ
From the Mail, August 12 From Saturday’s Mail
Splosh and Becks!
Star takes a dive
off Elton’s yacht
Warning over ‘unsafe’
private HRT drugs
FthMilA t12 From Saturday’s Mail
HRT CRISIS
AS PATCHES
RUN OUT
ON HIGH ST
DOCTORS
DELUGED IN
HRT CRISIS