Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, USA. ebarrettconnor@ucsd.edu
Raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), was designed to have the expected benefits of long-term estrogen replacement therapy without the risks. This paper reviews the clinical trial evidence for raloxifene benefits and risks, and how they compare with those of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and relate to the choices of postmenopausal women.