Houston Democrats

First we learn that Vioxx increases the risk of heart attacks. Now, we learn that Merck may have had research, as early as 2000, that uncovered these problems, but didn’t make it known to the public. It is time to end this secrecy. Lives depend on it.

Legislators have just introduced a bill--The Fair Access to Clinical Trials Act (FACT Act)--to require drug companies to make public all the results of their clinical trials so we’ll know about potentially harmful side effects. And Congress must create an independent office of drug safety in the Food and Drug Administration to ensure quick action is taken when safety concerns are raised.

Act now! Doctors and patients must have access to all safety and research information. We have momentum! Help us push it through. Click here to ask your state to help too.

Click here to go to the action page and support safe, effective, and affordable prescription drugs.

Click here to take action in Texas on HB 1029. (See below for the key requirements of the bill and a link to the complete text of the bill.)

HB 1029 requires

An institutional review board not approve a clinical drug trial unless the person conducting the trial agrees to:
1. register the clinical drug trial with the National Institutes of Health website for clinical trials; and
2. publish the results of the clinical drug trial in electronic format on the Internet in a manner readily understood by the public.

Now for some humor:
The Austin Lounge Lizards have produced a comical animation and song about the prescription drug industry.