Public Citizen is a national, nonprofit
consumer advocacy organization founded in 1971 by Ralph Nader to represent
consumer interests in Congress, the executive branch and the courts. The
Health Research Group promotes research-based, system-wide changes in health
care policy and provides oversight concerning drugs, medical devices, doctors
and hospitals and occupational health. They work to ban or relabel unsafe or
ineffective drugs and medical devices; improve safety standards at work sites;
and educate consumers about the health care services they receive by providing
information about doctors disciplined by state medical boards, hospital cesarean
section rates, how to obtain your medical records, and dispute resolution in
Medicare HMOs.
We
suggest you visit Public Citizen's Web site,
www.WorstPills.org, a
searchable, online drug database that provides comprehensive information about
538 prescription drugs and warns of 181 drugs that are unsafe or ineffective.
There you will read about drug pricing, Public Citizen's 10 rules for safer drug
use, review the current issue of our Worst Pills, Best Pills newsletter, and
sign up for e-alerts about newly discovered drug dangers.
Petitions filed by Public Citizen on behalf of those who have suffered the severe adverse drug reactions to the fluoroquinolones:
Public Citizen
Petitions the FDA to Include a Black Box Warning on
Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics (HRG Publication #1781) August 29,
2006
If you wish to add your comments in support of
Public Citizens Petition follow this link and then click on
"Submit Comment" at the bottom of the comment window.
After filing in your name in the registration form you are then
allowed to add your specific comments. Simply follow the
prompts.
FDA Docket Comments
The Office of
Attorney General, State of Illinois's petition to the FDA filed
May 18, 2005, seeking the same "Black Box" warnings as Public
Citizen PDF File (Adobe Reader Required)
The FDA's
response to the Attorney General, State of Illinois's Petition PDF
File (Adobe Reader Required)
Public
Citizen's Petition filed 10 years ago dealing with this same
issue:
Petition to Require a Warning
on All Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics (HRG Publication #1399)
August 1, 1996
Petition to the FDA
to Immediately Ban the Antibiotic Gatifloxacin (Tequin) (HRG Publication #1768)