Fascinating discussion in this thread started by Gregg Gonsalves regarding his just-published letter-to-the-editor in The Washington Post, speaking out against right to try laws passed by legislatures in three states. These laws, also called Dallas Buyers Club bills, are being driven by coalitions of rare disease patient groups (more often the parents of children with rare diseases) and rightwing anti-regulatory groups. They often use an inaccurate interpretation of the history of AIDS treatment activism to justify their views. ACT UP and TAG never wanted a dismantling of the FDA, but instead pushed for a more nimble and responsive agency (which we got rather quickly). A free-market nirvana, ruled by profits and desperation, was never our goal. That said, legitimate issues remain regarding access to experimental therapies. Advocates need to work with the FDA and industry (and Congress?) to tackle them, while preserving a regulatory framework that protects public health. https://facebook/gregg.gonsalves/posts/10154158065275008
Posted on: Wed, 21 May 2014 12:38:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015