Give the FDA Back Its Teeth

Posted on May 10, 2007 in Accountability Medications Psychotropics

If you’ve been burned by Zyprexa or another drug that the FDA failed to monitor properly or are just a drug consumer, send this email message to your representative:

As a constituent deeply concerned about the government’s recent failure to ensure the safety of several prescription drugs, I strongly urge you to co-sponsor HR 1561, the Enhancing Drug Safety and Innovation Act of 2007.

HR 1561 would address this and other major gaps in our drug safety process, which many of the nation’s top researchers, doctors and consumer groups have said is broken. In fact, the Institute of Medicine issued a report highly critical of the FDA’s ability to perform its drug safety mission. Several of the IOM’s well-reasoned recommendations are included in this legislation.

HR 1561 will simply give the FDA more tools to do its job, rather than relying on the only real tool it has now: removing a drug from the market. By giving the FDA this additional authority, you can help ensure patients who need a drug know about its benefits and its risks, and with their doctor, make an informed decision.

The bill would allow the FDA to enforce labeling changes, safety studies, and take other actions to protect the public if safety concerns arise. It also will ensure drug companies can’t hide clinical trials that may show a drug has a serious side effect or is no better than a placebo.

Please take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show the public that Congress takes seriously its commitment to getting safe and effective drugs on the market by supporting HR 1561. None of these measures will slow the flow of important, life-saving drugs to patients.

Rather, a strong bill will help ensure that the medicines my family takes are as safe and effective as possible, and will restore our faith in the nation’s drug approval process.

Needless to say this is yet another legacy of the Republican Congress that ruined the nation from 1994 to 2006. There’s a lot of fixing to do, so don’t hesitate to press for your personal safety.

[tags]health,accountability,pharmacy,pharmacology,FDA,drugs,consumers,medications,psychotropics,reform[/tags]