11 California Seniors Denied Access to Life-sustaining Drugs in FDA Seizure of Prescriptions at LAX
Only a week after a panel appointed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended allowing the sale of known potentially harmful pain-relieving drugs as an ‘acceptable risk’, the agency seized a shipment of life-sustaining drugs, including Lipitor, a cholesterol-lowering prescription, intended for delivery to 11 California senior citizens. The seizure took place at Los Angeles Airport.
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) February 25, 2005 -- Only a week after a panel
appointed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended allowing the
sale of known potentially harmful pain-relieving drugs as an ‘acceptable risk’,
the agency seized a shipment of life-sustaining drugs, including Lipitor, a
cholesterol-lowering prescription, intended for delivery to 11 California senior
citizens. The seizure took place at Los Angeles Airport.
The shipment
came from a licensed pharmacy in another country. An FDA spokesperson said the
reason for the seizure was that the drugs were ‘misbranded’ and ‘unapproved,’
although all Lipitor is manufactured at FDA-approved facilities outside the U.S.
by Pfizer, Inc.
Pfizer has been a leader in moves to restrict the access
of Americans to prescriptions from any source other than US pharmacies, where
prices are up to 60 percent higher than other countries.
The seizure
comes at a time that bi-partisan support is growing in Congress among
Representatives and Senators for legislation that will allow shipments of
prescription drugs from countries outside the US. Legislation enabling such
sales has been introduced in both Houses.
In a prepared statement, a
spokesperson for the seniors noted that it was ironic that while the FDA was
willing to cite an ‘acceptable risk’ for such drugs as Celebrex (also
manufactured by Pfizer) and Vioxx (Merck), it continues its attack upon American
seniors with actions such as the California seizure of proven-safe and important
drugs, a move than that can adversely affect the health and even the lives of
the 11 seniors.
“To claim that any prescription from a licensed,
registered pharmacy that has met the regulatory standards of its
country—standards that are often more stringent than in the U.S.—is unsafe is a
flawed attempt by the FDA to justify its actions,” says Daniel Hines, publisher
of www.TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com , a leading informational web
site for seniors.
“Additionally, the Lipitor was manufactured at an
FDA-approved facility.
“The FDA continues to attempt to portray itself
as a ‘protector’ of seniors and the un- and underinsured, while at the same
time, it moves to restore potentially damaging drugs to the market with
decisions that could endanger lives, and that are of benefit primarily to large
pharmaceutical companies.”
The seniors whose prescriptions were seized
have regularly ordered their drugs from a licensed pharmacy outside the U.S.,
Hines noted.
“These 11 elderly people turned to sources other than in
this country because they had to make difficult choices forced by the
extreme-pricing practices of companies such as Pfizer,” Hines noted. “In so
doing, they have established client-provider relationships based upon trust,
professionalism and reliability, as well as cost.
“In its mission
statement, the FDA notes that it is responsible for advancing the public health
by helping to speed innovations that make medicines and foods more effective,
safer, and more affordable,” Hines said.
“It is time for the FDA to
fulfill that part of its mission. A good first step would be to return the
life-sustaining prescription drugs it seized at the Los Angeles Airport--drugs
manufactured at FDA-approved facilities—to the seniors they have
endangered.”
# # #
Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/2/prweb212429.htm