The said cream contributes less than one percent to the revenue of the company, Pfizer said
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Multinational drugmaker Pfizer confirmed that it had suspended its Premarin brand of vaginal cream in India, adding that it was looking to restore supplies.“We wish to submit that Premarin vaginal cream, which is an imported product, has been temporarily discontinued in India due to certain supply constraints,” Pfizer told BSE, without giving details of the reason for the supply shortage. “The company is actively exploring options to restore the supply at the earliest,” it added.The said cream contributes less than one percent to the revenue of the company, Pfizer said, adding that “the temporary discontinuation is not expected to have any material impact on the company’s financial performance, business operations or profitability.”Menopause TreatmentPremarin vaginal cream contains a mixture of estrogen hormones, and is used to treat menopausal changes in and around the vagina, according to Pfizer’s product information.Mumbai-based senior gynaecologist Nikhil Datar said the product was available as a cream and tablet, and there were multiple companies in the segment. It is part of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) used to treat symptoms associated with menopause, he told businessline.HRTs were at one point seen as an “elixir” of life, and subsequently its fortunes swung to the other end of the spectrum, where it was linked to cancer, he said. The pendulum now is at the centre, he said, where it is used locally and for a specific purpose.“Menopause deserves the same attention as any other phase of a woman’s life. A disruption in access to an established therapy highlights the urgent need for wider availability of safe, evidence-based local estrogen preparations in India. Women should know that effective alternatives exist, and they should seek medical guidance rather than suffer in silence,” added Dr Neharika Malhotra, obstetrician and gynaecologist.Published on July 17, 2026
