Better Than Estrogen

FOR RELEASE: Fri., Jan. 17
ACS News Service
ontacts:
Print media:
Sophie Wilkinson, 202/872-4443 (office), [email protected]
Broadcast media:
Theresa Laranang-Mutlu, 202/872-4371 (office), [email protected]
For a copy of the full article:
Sally Pecor, 202/872-4451 (office), [email protected]
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News Summary
BETTER THAN ESTROGEN?

Drugs without estrogen's side-effects for post-menopausal women

Women who take estrogen-replacement therapy after menopause often also take progestin to avoid an increased risk of endometrial cancer. But progestin itself has a number of side-effects, including resumption of menses and central nervous system disturbances. And estrogen replacement therapy is also associated with increased breast cancer risk, according to Dr. Timothy Grese of Eli Lilly and Co. in Indianapolis. He and his coworkers are among the researchers seeking to develop compounds that lack the problems of estrogen therapy while keeping its attributes, which include maintenance of reproductive organs and the cardiovascular system, and diminished risk of osteoporosis. The scientists report on their latest results in the Jan. 17 issue of the American Chemical Society's Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

The estrogen substitutes are called "selective estrogen receptor modulators," and they include Lilly's raloxifene. Preliminary clinical trials showed raloxifene had "effects on bone turnover and serum cholesterol that were similar to those of estrogen, without the untoward effects of estrogen on the uterus," Grese says. He adds that "longer-term studies that will provide additional information about the relative effects of estrogen and raloxifene are still ongoing." The compound will soon be submitted to the Food & Drug Administration for approval. Grese and his colleagues are also making and testing compounds similar to raloxifene in order to hone in on the most beneficial chemical structure.

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