Re: ACOG Sends Letter to Physicians
From: art fougner, md (evsono@pipeline.com)
Mon Mar 4 14:37:51 2002
oh heck - just make all Rx drugs otc - then we don't have to worry about
being bombarded by requests for the latest drug someone saw on tv and
the pharmacists and pharmaceutical firms, along with the fda, can face
the product liability mahem.
semi tongue in cheek and i could be wrong.
art
At Mon, 04 Mar 2002, Marilyn Ringst wrote:
>
>>From kff.org:
>ACOG Sends Letter to Physicians Urging Them to Prescribe Advance Doses of EC
>to Patients
>
> The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has launched an
>"unprecedented" campaign to expand access to emergency contraception, the
>Wall Street Journal reports. ACOG has sent a letter to its 40,000 member
>physicians urging them to give patients advance prescriptions for EC in case
>of "emergencies." The mailing also includes a separate sample letter for
>physicians to use to "lobby local pharmacies" to stock EC, which can prevent
>pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of sexual intercourse. Many pharmacies
>do not regularly keep EC in stock due to the "low demand" for the pills.
>Although 50% of U.S. women between the ages of 15 and 44 have had an
>unintended
>pregnancy, only 2% of women in this age group have ever used EC, according
>to Princeton University's Office of Population Research. Women's Capital
>Corp. hopes to apply to the FDA this summer to obtain over-the-counter
>status for its Plan B brand of EC (Parker-Pope, Wall Street Journal, 3/1).
>
>Columnist Says FDA Should Grant OTC Status to EC
>
> "It is time for the FDA to add" EC to the list of drugs that can be
>dispensed over the counter, but "abortion politics" are hampering the
>change, Robyn Blumner writes in a St. Petersburg Times column. Blumner
>states that ACOG and more than 75 health and public policy organizations
>support giving OTC status to EC, and the "hurdles" that typically prevent
>drugs from being converted to OTC status are not present with EC because the
>pills are not complicated to use and
>are "safe for almost every woman." However, abortion politics are "getting
>in the way" of making EC an OTC drug because some antiabortion opponents
>argue that the pills are a form of abortion, Blumner says. The FDA has
>asked for information about EC that "go[es] well beyond the typical
>application" for OTC status, Blumner states. She writes that the FDA is
>asking Women's Capital Corp. in its OTC application for Plan B to provide
>long-term studies regarding whether
>women would change their contraceptive habits, stop using oral
>contraceptives or "eschew condoms" based on the availability of EC. "These
>extra data requests are insulting. ... The proper inquisition is whether the
>remedy is safe and effective. End of story," Blumner states. She
>concludes, "Any adverse changes
>some women might make in contraceptive use will be more than offset by the
>benefits of millions of unwanted pregnancies averted. ... Federal
>regulations say the [FDA] has the authority to approve OTC status for EC
>without a company request. The time to do so is now" (Blumner, St.
>Petersburg Times, 2/24).
>
--
art fougner, md
ich bin ein New Yorker
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