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anh0810 · 02-14-2006, 12:41 AM

Here is an article from the producers saying not to use Femara (Letrozole) for unapproved uses. The way it supposedly works is by making the lining better for implantation. I have no experience with this medication and am not trying to conceive however I want people to have all the info. I hope this helps.
Take care,
Ashley

ZURICH (Reuters) - Novartis has warned doctors not to use its hormone-based
breast cancer drug Femara to help women become pregnant after reports of
adverse events following such off-label use.

Novartis had found 13 reports of cases where individual doctors had
prescribed Femara for ovulation induction in its safety data base, a
spokeswoman said.

This lead to birth defects in two cases and two spontaneous miscarriages in
two others. There were four normal births, while there was a lack of
information in the five remaining cases.

"Novartis simply encouraged physicians and patients to stick to the
prescribed information," the spokeswoman said.

"This indication is not approved and Novartis never did anything to promote
it."

Femara is for use in post-menopausal women only, she said, but some doctors
across the world had prescribed the drug to treat infertility in women,
leading to the reports.

Novartis shares were 0.8 percent lower at 68.80 Swiss francs by 1500 GMT,
having hit a low of 68.10 francs earlier.

Novartis is seeking wider indications for Femara. U.S. regulators in August
agreed to speed up their review process on whether to allow it to be used by
women with breast cancer immediately following surgery to remove a tumour.

Femara is the second in a new class of hormone-based breast-cancer
treatments called aromatase inhibitors to have demonstrated an advantage
over tamoxifen, currently standard treatment for women with breast cancer