A petition to the FDA, posted on iPetitions.com, allows people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME to register their desire to have an opportunity to try Ampligen therapy if they wish. Will the ME/CFS community and its advocates muster the target 2,000 signatures or more? The FDA will render a decision on whether to conditionally approve Ampligen for ME/CFS on Feb 2.
The petition text is as follows. (To sign it and submit a comment, if desired, go to http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ampligen/#sign_petition)
FDA should give CFS patients access to Ampligen!
An estimated 4 million US citizens are suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome [CFS, CFIDS]. It's a life-debilitating disease for which there is currently no approved cure or treatment.
Ampligen (Rintatolimod) has been undergoing trials for over two decades and has benefited a great number of patients to no end and without ill effect.
An FDA Advisory Committee has recently seen fit to block marketing of Ampligen even though they voted it safe for approval. No-one can try it until the company (Hemispherx) provides data to statistical perfection. Would the Committee really have millions of patients pay for their political grandstanding, while expecting drug companies to attract millions of dollars again and again without a return?
Even those who do experience some of the reported side-effects may well prefer them over the unbridled disease with its devastating comorbidities. The FDA shouldn't try to make these decisions for us. There is no alternative!
• We urge the FDA to conditionally approve Ampligen this February 2nd.
• We urge the FDA to recognize our ability to make an informed decision.
Please show your support by signing this petition. Share it with your friends and let the FDA know they too should hear us loud and clear: Let CFS patients decide!
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To view and sign the petition, go to http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ampligen/#sign_petition
