People's Pharmacy

Evista

Generic Name:raloxifene

Revised:4/1/2000

Table of Contents

Overview

Until fairly recently, women at risk of osteoporosis had a difficult choice: taking estrogen strengthened the bones, but increased the risk of breast cancer.

Evista belongs in a new category of drugs, selective estrogen receptor modulators, or SERMs. By tailoring the molecule?s estrogenic action, scientists have been able to create a medicine that has some of the beneficial effects, but not all of the drawbacks.

This compound slows bone breakdown, giving the bone-building cells a chance to catch up and re-establish equilibrium.

Evista is prescribed for postmenopausal women to keep their bones from weakening with age. Short slender women, those who have smoked, and those whose mothers had osteoporosis are at the greatest risk of this condition.

Unlike estrogen, Evista does not make a woman more vulnerable to breast cancer. In addition, it does not predispose a woman to uterine cancer, as both estrogen and tamoxifen do.