DEPO-PROVERA LEADS TO 100 TIMES GREATER HERPES SUSCEPTABILITY

HAMILTON, ON, April 25, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Researchers at McMaster University have found that the abortifacient injectable birth-control drug Depo-Provera caused mice to be 100 times more susceptible to infection with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2).  The study, published in the current issue of the Journal of Virology (2003;77:4558-4565), also found that the mice injected with the drug had a significantly weaker immune response when exposed to the virus.  While spokesman for Pfizer, the pharmaceutical which manufactures Depo-Provera, were quick to condemn the study, the researchers noted that the study merely confirmed former research noting the drug increased risk of STDs.  See the Reuters coverage:  http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=2624281