The U.S. Senate is about to give the FDA unprecedented new powers, which would include the right to ban bioidentical hormones. We need to act now to prevent this from happening. Otherwise, we will soon lose access to a safe, effective, and valuable therapy that many Whitaker Wellness patients and others depend on.
I urge you to contact your Senators and Congressman today by going to the website www.mymedsmatter.com and sending each one an email instructing them to oppose S.959, which gives the FDA the authority to restrict and eliminate bioidentical hormones.
The U.S. Senate will vote on S.959 within the next 2 weeks, so we must act now to stop this bill from passing.
To learn more about this proposed legislation and how you can help stop it, read the information below from my friend and colleague, Steven F. Hotze, MD.
Senate Prepares to Pass Bill Giving FDA
Authority to Ban Bio-Identical Hormones
The U.S. Senate is preparing to give the FDA the right to ban your bio-identical hormones. You need to act now to prevent this from happening.
You need to contact your Senators and Congressman today by going to the website www.mymedsmatter.com and send them an email, instructing them to oppose S.959. The provisions contained in S.959 give the FDA the authority to restrict and eliminate the bioidentical hormones upon which millions of women and men depend.
Five years ago, the FDA tried to ban the most commonly compounded bio-identical hormone treatments. The agency failed because it did not have the authority to do so, but S.959 would give the FDA the authority to do that and much more.
On May 22, 2013, the U.S. Senate Health, Energy, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee approved S.959, which would give FDA unprecedented control over compounding pharmacies and the medications upon which patients depend. Currently, all pharmacies, including compounding pharmacies, are under the jurisdiction of their respective state boards of pharmacy. Now the FDA wants to regulate compounding pharmacies and help Big Pharma by eliminating the competition of bio-identical hormones.
The U.S. Senate will vote on S.959 within the next 2 weeks, so you must act now to stop this bill from passing.
S.959 is in response to a tragedy caused by contaminated injections distributed by New England Compounding Center (NECC), which had no connection with bio-identical hormones. The FDA already has the authority to prevent the recurrence of that tragedy, but Big Pharma is using this as an excuse to eliminate competition by compounding pharmacies that do not even sell such injections.
Now, having proved itself incompetent in dealing with the NECC, the FDA wants to expand its jurisdiction over thousands of compounding pharmacies which ultimately will lead to banning bio-identical hormones and other compounded medications upon which millions of patients rely.
Here’s the short version on how S.959 can harm you and interfere with your access to the bio-identical hormones that you take:
1) This bill would give the FDA the right to ban certain components of compounded bio-identical hormones if, in the opinion of the FDA, they pose “public health concerns.” In 2005, Wyeth, a pharmaceutical company, filed a complaint with the FDA, asking that all bio-identical hormones that contained the human estrogen hormone estriol be banned. Estriol is one of the most common components of bio-identical hormones, so this action would have disrupted the lives of countless women. The FDA ignored the voices and comments of more than 77,000 patients and physicians who opposed the Wyeth complaint and three years later in 2008 they sided with Wyeth, even though the FDA could not document a single adverse event with estriol. Fortunately, the FDA did not have the authority to enforce its decision in 2008. If S.959passes, then the FDA would have that authority.
2) FDA would be given the authority to ban your bio-identical hormones by declaring them to be “similar” to the drug-company drugs which are counterfeit hormones.
The FDA has been openly hostile to bio-identical hormones and compounding pharmacies for over 20 years. The FDA only recognizes bio-identical hormone therapy as a marketing term. With this hostile attitude that refuses to even recognize this important medication that millions of women take, what do you think FDA will do when they get full authority to determine whether women can have access to bio-identical hormones? Drug companies would love to eliminate the competition for their synthetic counterfeit hormones.
Please go to www.mymedsmatter.com today and email your Senators and Congressmen and have them oppose S.959. We are all for increased safety, but the NECC tragedy should not be used to deny you the bio-identical hormones that you need. Tell Congress what you think. Click here to enter your ZIP Code and address and send emails to Congress!
