CoMeD Sues FDA to Force Mercury Out of Medicine

    WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, October 27, 2006, the
 Coalition for Mercury-free Drugs (CoMeD) filed an amended complaint
 contesting the FDA response it received on September 26.
     CoMeD is asking the court to compel the FDA to: comply with the law,
 follow existing regulations, and provide proof of the safety and efficacy
 of mercury in drugs.
     This lawsuit was originally filed in August 2006 because the FDA had
 failed to answer the issues raised in a CoMeD citizen petition (FDA Docket:
 2004P-0349), filed on Wednesday, August 4, 2004, by representatives from
 CoMeD.
     Of concern is that mercury, which is second only to plutonium in
 toxicity, remains in at least 45 different prescribed and over-the-counter
 drugs (according to the FDA), including various eye ointments, ear
 solutions, nasal sprays, vaccines, biologics, and perhaps most importantly,
 in flu vaccines currently being administered to millions of pregnant women,
 children, and the elderly.
     Mercury is toxic to all human systems. Infants and children are
 especially susceptible to mercury poisoning. Mercury has been implicated in
 a long list of human chronic disorders including Alzheimer's disease,
 asthma, attention- deficit disorder, autism, diabetes, and multiple
 sclerosis, among many others.
     In a letter sent to the CoMeD and made public on September 27th, Dr.
 Jeffrey Shuren, the FDA Acting Assistant Commissioner for Policy, denied
 the CoMeD petition, yet he admitted the FDA had no proof of the safety of
 mercury in medicine.
     Plaintiffs' lead attorney, Clifford Shoemaker stated, "In its response,
 the FDA refused to address the merits of the complaint. It is not the
 responsibility of consumers to prove drugs 'unsafe'; it is the FDA's duty
 to prove drugs are safe. The FDA, ignoring a mountain of scientific
 evidence and its responsibility to the public, specifically to protect our
 children, has failed to follow its own statutes and regulations. As we
 witnessed with Vioxx, the FDA has turned a blind eye to the danger of
 mercury in medicine."
     To view CoMeD's petition to remove mercury from medicine, and all the
 subsequent documents, including the FDA responses:
 http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dockets/04p0349/04p0349.htm
     Contact:
     CoMeD Legal Advisor Jim Moody, Esq. (Washington, DC) 202-298-4766
     CoMeD Head Rev. Lisa K. Sykes (Richmond, VA)             804-364-8426
 
 

SOURCE National Autism Association