Bravo to Patrick H for starting this petition. It takes courage and resilience to stand up for what you believe in. Too many people sit around and wait for others to act, whilst others criticize those for standing up to be counted. Respect Patrick.
This from the online petition:
To the UK’s MHRA and EU’s EMA: The drugs on our shelves and those recommended by our doctors should first do no harm. As concerned citizens we call on you to put safety first and implement the reforms below:
1) Investigate and act against pharmaceutical companies employing illegal marketing activities by appointing an independent watchdog not funded by the drug industry who can be freely contacted by patients and by doctors witnessing bribery and encouragement to prescribe a drug ‘off label’- for a condition it has no licence to treat - by pharmaceutical representatives.
2) Tighten up requirements for licensing new drugs to include a thorough assessment of benefits versus risks, as well as withdrawal effects.
3) Record and minute meetings to be made publicly available, including representation from consumer groups.
4) Enforce pharmaceutical companies to publish their trial data, without hiding adverse effects, on their website for free access.
5) Take patient reported adverse reactions seriously and encourage patients who have had adverse effects to share them on the website rxisk.org so other patients and doctors are informed.
Why this is important
The profit-hungry drug company GlaxoSmithKline has been peddling a diabetes drug they knew was causing heart attacks without informing doctors or patients of the risk. Regulators in the EU knew about the dangers but failed to act fast enough, putting lives unnecessarily at risk. Previously, UK regulators knew about anti- depressants causing suicide but took over ten years to do anything about it. The same complacency is happening again with new anti-depressants and other drugs.
Earlier this month GSK pleaded guilty to criminal charges relating to anti-depressant and diabetes drug frauds and agreed to pay a $3 billion fine. That brings total fines against big pharma in the US in the last four years to almost $10 billion! But no fines in the UK or EU. Why do we put up with it?
A massive push from thousands of people right now will add to pressure from the media and force regulators to act faster and more decisively against dangerous drugs. As a citizen of the UK I need to know that my family and I are safe and that drug companies put patients before profits. But drug companies will only do the right thing if regulators force them.
Let’s join together in a gigantic outcry for the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulation Agency and EU’s European Medicines Agency to put safety first. Sign the petition!
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I truly hope the petition will make the MHRA stand up and listen. I suspect they will, as usual, pretend to listen then do absolutely nothing about the issues raised. They are limp-wristed and powerless and claim to be the best regulator in the world. To be the best of a truly awful bunch is not something I'd be proud of.
The MHRA are in bed with the pharmaceutical industry, they are not just sleeping with them they are performing all sorts of kinky sex acts. Just follow the money trail folks, case in point being these 4 articles I wrote back in 2010.
GlaxoSmithKline/MHRA - When Ignorance Turns To Bliss - Part I of IV
GlaxoSmithKline/MHRA - When Ignorance Turns To Bliss - Part II of IV - Witness For The Defence
GlaxoSmithKline/MHRA - When Ignorance Turns To Bliss - Part III of IV - Expert Statistician
GlaxoSmithKline/MHRA - When Ignorance Turns To Bliss - Part IV - The Colour of Money
Fid
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