Re: BRAVO BRAVO! NOW Applauds DeLauro Legislation Holding FDA Accountable on Emergency Contraception, Breast Implants

[Guest guest]

Now THAT's what I'm talkin' about!!! Hooray!

Praise God!

Sunny

--- In , " Ilena Rose " <colibrimama@...>

wrote:

>

> *http://www.now.org/press/09-06/09-

21.html*<http://www.now.org/press/09-06/09-21.html>

> **

> *NOW Applauds DeLauro Legislation Holding FDA Accountable on

Emergency

> Contraception, Breast Implants *

>

> *September 21, 2006*

>

> * " It's obvious that the Food and Drug Administration is no longer

the

> watchdog for public health and safety, " National Organization for

Women

> President Kim Gandy said today, welcoming legislation proposing

corrective

> measures for recent ill-advised FDA actions on Emergency

Contraception (EC)

> and risky silicone gel breast implants.*

>

> *Today Rep. DeLauro (D-Conn.) is introducing the FDA Scientific

> Fairness Act for Women, and Gandy praised the provision to

establish a

> scientific process within six months to review the safety of EC

(also known

> as Plan for use by women under 18 without a prescription. *

>

> * " The FDA's inexcusable delay in approving this safe drug, and then

denying

> it to young women—despite recommendations for approval by two FDA

advisory

> panels and major medical associations—reveals the agency's failure

to uphold

> its mandate to make scientifically sound decisions, " Gandy added.*

>

> *The DeLauro bill would also halt the FDA approval process on

silicone

> breast implants until the FDA establishes the life of silicone

breast

> implants and implant makers can demonstrate adequate safety of their

> products for the established lifetime of the product. This would

help women

> by reducing their exposure to rupture and leakage. *

>

> *Another important provision calls for an independent scientific

study of

> the effect on women and their children of toxic platinum salts from

silicone

> gel breast implants. A recently published article in the peer-

reviewed

> journal Analytical Chemistry reported high and hazardous levels of

an

> oxidized form of platinum in hair, urine, blood and breast milk

samples.*

>

> *Gandy said, " More research is critically needed to determine what

role

> these toxic platinum salts may play in making some women and their

children

> very sick. " The presence of the toxic ingredient in implants was

first

> reported at the 2003 NOW Foundation **scientific

> symposium*<http://www.now.org/issues/health/symposium.html>

> * examining silicone gel breast implant safety questions. *

>

> *The FDA has been dismissive of these alarming findings and appears

ready to

> approve two applications to market silicone breast implants to the

general

> public. In fact, the FDA has already issued

preliminary " approvable " letters

> to Inamed and Mentor corporations, the two implant makers who want

to sell

> these dangerous types of implants. These manufacturers have spent

hundreds

> of thousands of dollars to promote their implants and to put heavy

pressure

> on FDA officials to approve their applications. *

>

> *Silicone gel implants were withdrawn in 1992 when thousands of

women

> reported serious illnesses and injuries after receiving the

implants. Later,

> thousands of lawsuits were filed against a number of manufacturers

by women

> made ill by the implants, and by the U.S. government on behalf of

many

> hundreds of women covered under federal health care programs.*

>

> *Dr. Wood, former Assistant Commissioner for Women's Health

and

> Director of the FDA Office for Women's Health, who was honored at

NOW's

> National Conference as a Woman of Courage, summed up the problem in

her

> conference remarks: " What we have apparently is a small group of

people with

> enormous influence who can overrule good science, who can overrule

good

> health policy, who can overrule an interest in the public health of

> individuals around the nation. " *

>

> *###*

> *For Immediate Release

> Contact: , 202-628-8669, ext. 123; cell 202-641-1906 *

>