Sep 1 2003
Major Inaccuracies in Public Citizen's Response While the entire email is filled with misrepresentations and inaccuracies, the most dangerous are outlined here.
PUBLIC CITIZEN ERROR: "Armour Thyroid...does not require a prescription."
FACT: Armour Thyroid is a prescription drug, requires a prescription, and is FDA-regulated.
PUBLIC CITIZEN ERROR: "If you watch the research carefully, you will also note that the levels of TSH requiring treatment have been dropping and many physicians and labs have not readjusted their numbers - often resulting in dosage levels being inadequate."
FACT: This development has nothing to do with Armour Thyroid, and is an issue that affects ALL thyroid hormone replacement drugs, including levothyroxine and liotrix.
PUBLIC CITIZEN ERROR: "In order to understand the problems one must know the different ways in which the law deal with herbals etc. as opposed to the responsibility for prescription and over the counter drugs."
FACT: Armour Thyroid is a prescription drug, and not an over the counter or herbal remedy.
PUBLIC CITIZEN ERROR: "The following list itemizes some of the specific problems with unregulated products..."
FACT: Like any other prescription drug, Armour Thyroid is regulated and overseen by the FDA.
PUBLIC CITIZEN ERROR: "It is of concern to us that we are receiving more and more mail with people describing negative effects from herbals or dietary supplements they are using."
FACT: Again, Armour Thyroid is not an herbal or dietary supplement. It is a prescription thyroid hormone replacement drug.
PUBLIC CITIZEN ERROR: "We believe the public has a right to a marketplace free of untested products that can be sold for unsubstantiated uses. The passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) stripped the FDA of any authority to act proactively to ensure the public's safety. The DSHEA has left American consumers almost without protection in the anarchistic dietary and herbal supplement marketplace. With the proliferation of dietary supplements..."
FACT: Again, Public Citizen and its representative, Ms. Blount, are incorrectly characterizing Armour Thyroid as a dietary supplement. Armour Thyroid, being a prescription product, IS subject to the authority of the FDA.
PUBLIC CITIZEN ERROR: "The goals of the Health Research Group are to educate the public about critical health issues..."
FACT: Unfortunately, in this case, Ms. Blount, the Health Research Group, and Public Citizen appear to be the ones in most dire need of basic education on thyroid drugs, as the group is providing incorrect and potentially dangerous information to thyroid patients around the country.
What Can You Do To Help Educate Public Citizen?
Why are Public Citizen and Worst Pills continuing to disseminate incorrect information? AND, even after being contacted by physicians and patient advocates with the CORRECT information, does Public Citizen and Worst Pills continue to defend their incorrect position, by providing with even MORE errors and dangerous misinformation?
For a group that purports to be on the side of the consumer, they have abandoned the millions of thyroid patients who deserve correct information on the prescription drugs available to them, and are actively MISINFORMING patients.
I URGE patients, drug manufacturers, and thyroid doctors to join me in contacting Public Citizen. It's time for this self-described "consumer" group to hear from some real thyroid consumers, and start putting out the RIGHT information about this urgent issue, instead of repeating their misinformation!
Write to them at:
Betty Blount, RN, BSN
Sidney Wolfe, MD, Health Research Group
Joan Claybrook, President
Worst Pills, Best Pills / Public Citizen
1600 20th St. NW
Washington, DC. 20009
Email: hrg1@citizen.org, public_citizen@citizen.org
Or use their mail form online
Or call them:
202-588-1000
FOLLOWUP
Read my 8/29/03 Letter to Sidney Wolfe, MD
