Question explored with the scientific record
Conversation so far
- 1 Tell me about primo dos and who funds + a private exchange
- 2 Tell me about primodos and who funds + a private exchange
- 3 Why is there no trial data or peer reviewed studies + a private exchange
- 4 So if no one sold it how did it begin bein used as a pregnancy test
Answered on this page ↓
So if no one sold it how did it begin bein used as a pregnancy test
The short version: nobody designed Primodos as a pregnancy test. Doctors started prescribing a hormone combination for menstrual problems, women noticed their periods were late, and the drug got relabeled as a test because a missed period after taking it was read as a positive result.
That is the mechanism, and it is not in the records in front of me. The one Primodos study here identifies the drug by its two hormones, norethisterone acetate and ethinyl estradiol, and shows they deform embryos in a dose-dependent way [1]. It says nothing about how the drug came to be marketed as a test. The rest of the retrieval is off-topic: biosimilar approvals, HIV vaccine endpoints, cancer immunotherapy, HPV vaccine rollout, a triglyceride drug, new drug authorizations, endometrial cancer progestogen therapy, and rat uterine aquaporin [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. None of them touches the history you are asking about.
So the honest answer is that the origin story is outside this evidence. What I can say from general history, flagged as not from these records: the hormones were already in use for gynecological complaints, and the "test" use was a side effect of that prescribing, not a product designed for the purpose. A missed period on a progestogen was taken as a sign of pregnancy. That is a diagnostic guess dressed up as a test, and it was wrong often enough to harm women who were not pregnant and to miss women who were.
My call: the drug became a "pregnancy test" through off-label repurposing of an existing hormone product, not through any deliberate design, and the evidence here cannot confirm the details. Confidence: moderate on the mechanism, low on the specifics.
Sources used 10
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The Primodos components Norethisterone acetate and Ethinyl estradiol induce developmental abnormalities in zebrafish embryos
This study investigates the teratogenic effects of the Primodos components Norethisterone acetate and Ethinyl estradiol on zebrafish embryos, demonstrating that these compounds induce developmental abnormalities in a dose- and time-dependent manner.
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-018-21318-9 -
The Biosimilar Landscape: An Overview of Regulatory Approvals by the EMA and FDA
EMA biosimilar approvals matured faster than FDA approvals by 2019, and adalimumab biosimilars illustrate how regulatory pathways and patent protections shape market access and labeling across regions.
DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13010048 -
Analysis of randomized clinical trials leading to new drug approvals in India and USA
Despite 163 multinational randomized trials in India and the USA, India's rate of approving new drugs for the same investigational products is markedly lower than the USA's (13 NDAs vs 35, from 93 regrouped trials), highlighting a gap between trial activity and local drug approv…
DOI: 10.18203/2349-3259.ijct20161413 -
Considerations regarding efficacy endpoints in HIV vaccine trials: Executive summary and recommendations of an expert consultation jointly organized by WHO, UNAIDS and ANRS in support of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise
A WHO/UNAIDS/ANRS expert consultation (Paris, 2007) analyzes efficacy endpoints for HIV vaccine trials, advocates surrogate endpoints (e.g., plasma viral load and CD4 T-cell counts) and modeling to support accelerated licensure, and provides comprehensive regulatory, ethical, an…
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2008.12.029 -
Exploring the role of CRISPR in cell-based cancer immunotherapy
A comprehensive, student-authored review detailing how CRISPR/Cas9 is being applied to cancer immunotherapy, with emphasis on CAR-T cell engineering, clinical trial outcomes, and the ethical/regulatory landscape.
DOI: 10.47611/jsrhs.v13i1.6029 -
Introducing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination - a challenge for European vaccine advisory committees and public health services
This commentary argues that European HPV vaccine introduction faces public safety concerns and cost-effectiveness questions, and that integrated platforms such as VENICE are needed to support evidence-based decisions, communication, and assessment.
DOI: 10.2807/ese.13.33.18951-en -
<p>Volanesorsen in the Treatment of Familial Chylomicronemia Syndrome or Hypertriglyceridaemia: Design, Development and Place in Therapy</p>
A comprehensive review of volanesorsen (apoC3 antisense oligonucleotide) for familial chylomicronemia syndrome and severe hypertriglyceridaemia, detailing phase 1–3 clinical trials that show dose-dependent apoC3 and triglyceride reductions with potential pancreatitis risk reduct…
DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s224771 -
Novel Drugs Recently Authorized by EMA and FDA (Q1, 2023)
Regulatory update summarizing novel drugs newly authorized by EMA and FDA in Q1 2023, detailing mechanisms, indications, pivotal trial evidence, and safety profiles.
DOI: 10.53519/analesranf.2023.89.01.07 -
Progestogen treatment options for early endometrial cancer
In a retrospective 16-patient series, 10 (63%) responded to progestogen for stage-1 endometrial cancer; reported time to response was 5.5 months; three achieved successful pregnancy, with no recurrence among responders.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2010.02552.x -
The Effects of Female Sexual Hormones on the Expression of Aquaporin 5 in the Late-Pregnant Rat Uterus
This study investigates how estrogen- and progesterone-related compounds regulate Aquaporin 5 (AQP5) expression in the late-pregnant rat uterus, finding progesterone and its analogs upregulate AQP5 at both mRNA and protein levels while 17β-estradiol increases AQP5 protein but no…
DOI: 10.3390/ijms17081300