The Product
Premarin® is a drug whose name originates from a key ingredient, pregnant mare's urine. It is prescribed to alleviate the symptoms of menopause by substituting equine estrogens for those naturally produced by the human body. According to 2000 statistics, there are approximately 450 farms in Canada and 50 farms in the U.S., located in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Indiana with approximately 60,000 mares being used to produce this urine.

The Business
Pregnant mares used for Premarin® production are confined to narrow tie stalls where they cannot turn or lie down for weeks at a time without release for exercise. Regulations only require that the mares be turned out for two hours every two weeks. This chronic lack of exercise can cause severe swelling of the legs, breakdown of the hoof structure and sets the stage for colic.

Stalled horses yearn for release. Taking some mares out of the stable will create a major disturbance among those left behind. The manpower necessary to frequently unhook the mares from the urine collection harness for regular exercise would also decrease the farmer's profit margin. Premarin® farming is an $800,000,000 a year industry. Observers are denied access to PMU farms except for visits previously arranged. Wyeth-Ayrest now claims that some specific reforms, for example: discontinuing the practice of withholding water to concentrate the mare's urine, have been initiated in response to pressure from humane groups. What is certain is that intense scrutiny is needed for an industry with a long history of inhumane abuses.

The Foals
Although controversy surrounds the state of the Premarin® producing mares, one fact is clear: 60,000 grade foals produced in isolated regions of central Canada have almost no chance to find homes as sport horses, working horses or pets. The majority will become casualties of slaughter. The two to five month old foals are taken from their mothers in early September and sent to auctions where they are sold by the pound to meatpackers.

TIER representatives have observed the Manitoba horsemeat auctions in 2001 and, although over 250 foals and 4 PMU mares were rescued in 2001, through a joint effort with the United Pegasus Foundation, it is heartbreaking to witness thousands of innocent foals destined to slaughter. At one auction alone, 1,050 foals went through the auction process. Over 800 of these foals went to meat buyers.

Premarin, Politics and the Public Health
An Expose Revealing How Politics Trumped Science at the FDA more >>

What the Doctors are Saying
Premarin May Be Hazardous, Doctors Say. The most widely prescribed drug for menopausal women comes at a controversial price. According to animal rights activists, the hormone Premarin is made from urine from pregnant mares, and the mares can endure horrible conditions while their urine is collected. Read more. See video (very graphic).

For a detailed report on Premarin®, please go to the Humane Society of the United States website and read The Facts About Premarin®

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