Posted 14 July 2020
An ad hoc committee convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has concluded that there is insufficient evidence to support the clinical utility of custom-compounded bioidentical hormone therapy (cBHT). Unlike the dozens of hormone therapy products that have been reviewed for safety and efficacy and are FDA-approved for treating symptoms resulting from natural, age-related hormone changes or other endocrine-based disorders, cBHT preparations are not required to be proven safe or effective before they are dispensed to patients. The NAS committee recommends: (a) restricting the use of cBHT preparations, (b) assessment of their difficulty to compound, and (c) additional education, oversight, and research. An estimated 26 to 33 million prescriptions for cBHT preparations cost upwards of $2 billion annually.
Reference: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Highlights: The clinical utility of compounded bioidentical hormone therapy (cBHT): A review of safety, effectiveness, and use… Read the rest