Target: Marty Makary, Commissioner of U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Goal: Do not remove warning labels from questionable products without involved input from scientists and healthcare professionals.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is poised to remove warning labels from hormone replacement therapy medications used for menopause symptoms. The FDA now claims that estrogen treatments can lower risks for heart disease, treat dementia, and even extend life. Medical experts are claiming the opposite and contend that certain types of estrogen can actually cause harm to patients.
The FDA declaration breaks with tradition in a serious way. Typically, the topic of public warnings arises in extensive meetings with FDA personnel and scientists, and the entire process is open to public comment and disclosure. None of this process reportedly occurred with the latest rollback. Instead, the FDA head apparently instructed individuals who were involved in the decision-making to wear white coats so their less-than-official meeting would look reputable. Then, the Secretary of Health and the FDA director made their announcement regarding the warning label removals and made a number of unproven claims about the supposed benefits of the therapy. As part of their justification, they even touted the supposed ability of hormone replacement therapy to “improve marital satisfaction.” Not a word was mentioned about the many dangerous side effects that can accompany certain estrogen-based treatments.
Experts worry the slapdash approach to this issue will extend to other serious matters concerning public health. Sign the petition below to demand irresponsible leaders listen to the people with knowledge and experience rather than following their own egos.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Dr. Makary,
“Far from showing benefit, it actually showed a trend toward harm.” A leading expert in dementia came to this startling conclusion after conducting a large and extensive study regarding hormone therapies and memory loss. What you call “medical group think” and “medical dogma” is in reality valid, reliable research conducted time and again by people who want to lead with facts, not wild guesses. This is the scientific method that has advanced and sustained medicine for centuries.
Coming up with an idea and then searching for cherry-picked opinions that agree with that idea is the opposite of science and the opposite of progress. Beginning with the planned eradication of black-box warnings from estrogen-based menopause treatments, please stop undermining this integral process and instead support thoughtful collaboration and fierce debate. Do not make blanket statements and declarations that could ultimately cost patients their welfare and their lives.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Kampus Production
