CorruptoCo Blogfest: HRT Horses, What Happens When The Market Disappears
From "Black Beauty" to "Seabiscuit," horses
have long had a special place in the human heart, and Hollywood. Now a
coalition of animal lovers, and movie stars, are fighting to save
thousands of horses who could soon be facing death. It has all the
makings of a Hollywood movie -- except a happy ending. (This post is dedicated to Missouri Mule, who I'm wishing for a quick recovery and soon to be back in her saddle)
A
horse called Missy is part of a giant secret. Or, if not exactly a
secret, then an uncomfortable fact. Thousands upon thousands of
Missy's, used to make a drug for humans, are suddenly in danger of
becoming horse meat. Why? One phrase: Hormone replacement therapy, or
HRT.
For a half
century the pharmaceutical giant, Wyeth, has been marketing HRT under
the name Premarin, which, since it was FDA approved back in 1942, has
been considered almost a miracle drug. It has also been incredibly
profitable.
As recently as 2001 annual revenue from Premarin was more than $2
billion. Nine million women relied on it to relieve the symptoms of
menopause. And where did this wonder drug come from? The urine of
pregnant horses. Wyeth signed contracts with hundreds of farmers, most
of them in western Canada, to breed tens of thousands of horses
annually. And the result of all those pregnancies? Lots and lots and
lots of foals, baby horses.
For years the way the mothers of these animals were used, in the
production of Premarin, has infuriated animal activists. Pregnant mares
were confined to narrow stalls for more than 20 hours a day, for five months at a stretch, all the while strapped to cumbersome urine collection devices.
The USDA called the industry a model of self regulation, but opponents say it's cruel, inhumane.
"That
to me is nothing short of torture," says Dr. Ray Kellosalmi, a
gynecologist and horse advocate. "It's subtle torture, but it is still
torture... Horses evolved through millennia in wide open spaces.
They're not animals that should be subject to factory farming
conditions."
And what of the foals, the by-product of these
Premarin farms? They are usually sent to auction, along with those
mothers whose production has waned. They can be bought for recreational
use, or as often happens, purchased by what are called "killer buyers,"
who send them to
feedlots to be fattened up for slaughter. Horse meat sells well in
Europe and Japan. That is how it has been for half a century, with
perhaps a million horses giving their lives for Premarin. Then, in July
2002, a completely unexpected announcement changed everything. A portion
of the women's health initiative study tested the effectiveness and
safety of hormone replacement therapy. That portion of the study was
halted when the women taking the Premarin-type medication were found to
be suffering from higher rates of heart attack, blood clots, breast
cancer and dementia.
Independent of that, Wyeth began marketing
a lower dose version of Premarin-type drugs. The demand for premarin
products dropped dramatically. By the end of 2003, Wyeth canceled the
contracts of more than half of the premarin farmers. "The amount of horses needed went from 40,000 to 20,000 overnight," says Dr. Kellosalmi.
Canada The Winnipeg Free Press carried an editorial on September 14,
2001 by Frances Russell. Boasting 18,267 mares harnessed six months a year to the "pee line" and
the
world's only pregnant mares' urine factory, Manitoba is proud to be
known as
the PMU capital. But the $44-million industry has once again been
getting a
big, black eye in the news.
Amy Allina, program director for the National Women's Health Network, a
nonprofit education and advocacy group based in Washington, told The
Post:
"Unfortunately, Premarin has been promoted for many, many years for a
wide
variety of indications for which there isn't any evidence to prove it's
effective, such as the prevention of heart disease, prevention of memory
loss, making your skin look younger. "Premarin is not simply a harmless aid for getting through menopause. It
can
increase other health problems and women need to know that." Even the drug's manufacturer advises Premarin may increase the risk of
uterine cancer and blood clots. And other studies suggest it may pose an
increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers.
Nor are Premarin's difficulties the only problem for Manitoba's urine
business. No matter how hard they try, neither Wyeth-Ayerst nor Manitoba
can
do much to stop the black eye the national and international media keeps
giving them for the inherent cruelty of the industry and, especially,
the
cruelty of the fall foal auction. The biggest auction occurred here last
week
and TV and print journalists from Canada and the U.S. converged. The
stories
and pictures from Winnipeg Livestock Sales have been graphic. Most of
Manitoba's PMU foals and used-up mares -- 16,200 last year alone -- are
destined for the feed lot and slaughterhouse.
Ellen Buck, an equine veterinarian with the Humane Society of the U.S.
who
had come to Winnipeg, told the paper that while foals should be at least
six
months' old before they are taken from their mothers, most of the ones
here
looked to be between two and three months. The story reported that the
separated mares and foals kept up a continuous plaintive whinnying for
each other and also that many were sick, hardly able to walk, and only skin
and
bone. The writer noted that the auction ring's large iron door slammed
on the
head of one of the foals and a still-lactating mare's udder was
painfully
swollen.
And Missy, what of her? There is a girl, 10 years old, named Beth
Lowetz, who worked at 4H fairs to save money. And just in time, she
had enough to adopt, and Missy won't have to know what she missed.
What can You Do. PMURescue.org
Visit UAN's online sanctuary for PMU horses needing homes. More than 50
equine rescue organizations post adoptable horses, and there are
currently more than 240 horses listed. So far, approximately 600 horses
have found permanent and loving homes through PMURescue.org. [visit the Web site]
At the Premarin Foal Auctions
A UAN rescuer gives her first-person account
of a trip to the Canadian auctions to rescue the Premarin
[read]
Send a Gift to the Premarin Mares and Foals
Make a gift that will help us continue to spread
the word about this bitter pill and save the desperate
horses. [donate]
There are several alternatives making the cruelty completely unnecessary.
The demand for Premarin is coming down and so are the number of suffering mares. Mares will normally live for twenty to thirty years. Most Premarin
mares will last about five years. Every year one-quarter of the mares
are sent to slaughter and replaced.
The good news is that Premarin is the only menopause drug made with
animal-derived oestrogen. Alternatives include Estratab, Estraderm,
Estrace, Ortho-Est and Remifemin.