THIS WEEK: Generic labels, battling regulatory misinformation and Craig Holman vs. his arch nemisis!
Today, Public Citizen once again petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The problem? Right now, generics constitute the majority of all prescriptions filled in the U.S. However, thanks to outdated FDA regulations, generic companies do not have the same ability to update safety information on their labeling that brand-name manufacturers have. The absurdity of these outdated regulations took center stage when the U.S. Supreme Court relied on them as the basis for PLIVA v. Mensing, in which it ruled that patients harmed by inadequate warnings on a generic drugs cannot sue the drugmaker for damages.
We are also pleased to be working with our colleagues at the Sunlight Foundation today in pushing for a host of transparency measures we believe need to be embraced by all six members of the supercommittee that is tasked with trimming more than a trillion dollars from the federal budget.
On Tuesday, get ready for an epic throw down as our own Craig Holman, Ph.D. takes on his arch nemesis, Hans von Spakovsky. Don’t know about this polarizing Bush Federal Elections Commission appointee? Read more about him here, and you will see why tomorrow’s debate on Voice of Russia is one you will not want to miss!
Later this week, Public Citizen will be filing an amicus brief in a case in which a religious cult is trying to out a dissident, located abroad, who established a blog to criticize the cult. Check back with us to find out more about this case, which is being handled by Public Citizen attorney Paul Alan Levy, whose work has led to the creation of a new area of case law carving out First Amendment rights on the Internet.
Also this week, we will be filing a petition on an important worker safety issue that hasn’t been addressed before on a federal level.
And on Friday, we will be speaking truth to a multinational corporate power megaphone that is spouting anti-regulatory, anti-consumer misinformation.
As we approach our 40th anniversary, we will be reflecting on what is, in many respects, the 40th anniversary of the consumer movement. Check out our Twitter feed for daily tweets regarding our many accomplishments. For example, you know those Reyes syndrome warnings for children on aspirin? Public Citizen is responsible for those. Yes, you’re welcome!
Rachel Lewis, is Public Citizen’s online girl Friday. Formerly a wonk, she now enjoys translating wonkiness into 140 characters or less and relishes any excuse to wear a costume. Follow her for the latest from Citizen Vox @citvox.