Families urge Congress to reform drug safety system Posted by Liz at 03/16/07 02:44 PM

I think our efforts were very successful and I think we definatley impacted the debate. While we were in Washington, the Senate Health committee announced that they would like someone with a personal story of suffering from a drug side effect to testify at Wednesday's hearing on the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA).

The families, organized by the advocacy group Consumers Union, are using their experiences to make the case for measures now being considered in Congress, such as mandating disclosure of clinical trial results, requiring studies after medications are sold and imposing limits on consumer drug advertising.

The Food and Drug Administration's oversight of drug safety has come under scrutiny in the last three years after studies linked antidepressants to suicide risk for children and Merck & Co.'s Vioxx painkiller to elevated chances of heart attack and stroke.

Family members are visiting the offices of Senate and House members who represent their states and home towns, along with those sponsoring legislation on drug safety. Lawmakers have said they may consider the safety measures in coming months as part of legislation that would increase fees drugmakers pay to speed the FDA's approval process.

comments (2)

1 Posted by Stacy at 03/16/07 08:56 PM

Thank you Cathy & Daniel, Kristine, Francine, Patricia, and everyone else I didn't mention for sharing your stories with the rest of us. I believe WE can make a difference and your lives along with the lives of our loved ones will NEVER be forgotten.

2 Posted by family portrait painting at 06/04/07 05:44 AM

This is another milestone that needs to be celebrated. But I still think that the government should impose laws that will boost closer family ties so that children won’t depend on drugs for relief or others.

I believe that what the children think is mostly affected by their experiences from their own family.