This resolution was proposed in a previous session of Congress. Sessions of Congress last two years, and at the end of each session all proposed bills and resolutions that haven’t passed are cleared from the books. Members often reintroduce bills that did not come up for debate under a new number in the next session.
CALL YOUR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE AND ASK THEM TO SUPPORT H.CON.RES. 342:
FDA’s POLICY ON ESTRIOL NOT SERVING PUBLIC INTEREST
H. Con. Res. 342: Expressing the sense of Congress that the Food and Drug Administration’s(FDA) new policy restricting women’s access to medications containing estriol does not serve the public interest.
May 6, 2008: U.S. House Representatives Mike Ross (D-Ark.) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) introduced a bipartisan resolution today to counter the efforts of the FDA and Wyeth against compounded bio-identical hormones that contain estriol. H. Con. Res. 342 raises concern over FDA’s policy to ban estriol. Reps. Ross and Emerson were joined by Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Burgess (R-Texas), John Carter (R-Texas), Sam Farr (D-Calif.) and Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).
The resolution asks the FDA to “respect the physician-patient relationship” and recognizes that doctors “determine which medications are appropriate for their patients.” It also points out that the “FDA has acknowledged that it is unaware of any adverse events” associated with the use of estriol over the past three decades.
The FDA’s actions would prevent physicians from choosing a medication which they have found to be most effective in treating the hormonal disorders of menopause.
Estriol is one of three female estrogen hormones produced by women’s ovaries. It has been widely used for over 20 years as a prescription medication for the treatment of hormonal disorders which afflict women in midlife and in menopause. Hundreds of thousands of women across America use this product every day.
Today: Call or email your members of Congress and ask them to support H. Con. Res. 342! You need to act immediately to protect your rights!
If your representative is already supporting this resolution, thank them for their support and let them know you will be following the progress of this resolution.
Sample Letter
Dear Representative ________:
Because of your concern for protecting patients’ rights, I wanted to bring to your attention my concern over the FDA’s attack on estriol, a human (bio-identical) hormone replacement therapy, and compounding pharmacies.
My physician has prescribed bio-identical hormones to treat my health conditions and I am feeling so much better than I did on the drugs which I had previous taken. The hormones that he prescribed can only be purchased from a compounding pharmacy.
Drug companies, particularly Wyeth, the maker of Premarin, have been using the FDA to try to stop compounding pharmacies from filling physicians’ prescriptions for alternatives to Premarin, such as estriol.
The FDA has sent warning letters to compounding pharmacies across the country threatening to “take enforcement action to halt your compounding of drugs containing estriol,” thus denying my access to vital compounded medications which my doctor has determined that I need.
In response to this, H. Con. Res. 342 states the FDA’s new policy restricting women’s access to medications containing estriol does not serve the public interest.
Compounding pharmacies are licensed and regulated by the states and it should stay that way. We don’t need big government telling my doctor or me that we cannot use bio-identical hormones.
Please protect my right to choose bio-identical hormones and other compounded medications. Please support Resolution 342!
Sincerely yours,
(Your Name)
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