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Doctors and patients will still not have important information on side effects of medicine

Statement of Emily Clayton, CALPIRG Health Care Advocate, on today’s Assembly Business and Professions Committee vote on SB 163 (Scott), the Pharmaceutical Drug Safety and Information Act:

“Despite widespread support from consumer, senior, health and labor organizations, the Assembly Business & Professions Committee today failed to pass the year’s most important piece of consumer legislation. With today’s vote, California’s patients and doctors are further from getting the truth about the safety of their medicines. Senator Scott’s legislation would have, for the first time, required drug companies to release the results of all the health studies for their medicines.

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Supporters vow to keep fighting for measure this year

SACRAMENTO—Doctors, patients, consumer groups and health care advocates were dealt a setback by the state Senate this week when it failed to advance the Pharmaceutical Drug Right-to-Know Act. The legislation, SB 1683 by Senator Jack Scott (Altadena), would have required pharmaceutical companies to disclose the results of all their health studies, good and bad. It was introduced in response to the VIOXX tragedy, which was worsened by drug giant Merck's cover-up of its own negative health studies, and other drug safety tragedies like it.

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New Study Analyzes FDA Actions Against Manufacturers For Deceptive Marketing Of Vioxx, Paxil, 150 Other Drugs

SAN FRANCISCO—Over the last five years, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent prescription drug companies 170 enforcement letters criticizing false or misleading advertising that omitted or minimized risks, promoted unproven uses, and made other deceptive claims to doctors and consumers about 150 different drugs including Vioxx, Paxil, Oxycontin and Accutane, according to a new report released today by the CALPIRG Education Fund.

“Turning Medicine Into Snake Oil, How Drug Marketers Put Patients At Risk” analyzes the FDA actions and makes numerous recommendations for state and federal policy reforms to improve drug safety.

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Doctors and patients one step closer to getting information on side effects of medicine