Saturday, September 4, 2010

We Won!

Dysautonomia patients and physicians were shocked two weeks ago when the FDA announced that it was pulling midodrine from the market.  The news was devastating, but our tiny group of patients pulled together, voiced our opinions, and fought for the medicine that has helped us so much.  Friends and family joined in the cause, and we truly overwhelmed the FDA with requests to keep midodrine on the market.  Our phone calls clogged up their lines, and we froze up the comment section of their website.

And you know what?  It worked!  The FDA anounced on Friday that midodrine will stay on the market.  I have just been texting and facebooking with some of my dysautonomia friends, and we are so excited that we're having a hard time sleeping (hence my blogging at midnight). 

Thank you so much to everyone who has written, emailed, or called the FDA on our behalf.  I am so grateful for your help.


The New York Times posted this article on September 3, 2010:

F.D.A. Backtracks and Returns Drug to Market

Two weeks ago, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it would remove the drug midodrine from the market because the drug’s maker never confirmed that the medicine — approved in 1996 under an abbreviated process — actually worked against dizziness and fainting.

But 100,000 patients take midodrine for conditions many say would otherwise be disabling, and many flooded the agency with complaints. So on Friday morning, top F.D.A. officials announced that they had backtracked and would continue to allow midodrine to be sold. The announcement came after inquiries by The New York Times.

“In a different situation, we might act differently,” said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, principal deputy commissioner. “But in this case, it does not make sense to pull access to the drug while we get better data.”

You can read the rest of the article here.

For the past two weeks Will and I had been praying and asking God to keep midodrine on the market for those of us who need it.  And He has.

4 comments:

  1. I am so happy for you!! I am sure you are so relieved!!

    Hope this helps you have a great fantastic weekend!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Praise the Lord! I am praying for you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. have you visited http://www.toomanyheartbeats.blogspot.com ?

    My friend Teresa blogs there and I think has the same thing.


    Love,
    Traci

    ReplyDelete

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