FDA vs. Patients: Asking the Government for Permission to Live

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hundreds of thousands of terminally ill patients have died waiting for drugs already known to be safe—and which the Food and Drug Administration ultimately approved.

Now the FDA is aggressively moving past its lock on the approval of every medication and all medical equipment. It now seeks control of every procedure and treatment that physicians recommend. 

On October 9, 2013, Americans for Free Choice in Medicine (AFCM – http://www.afcm.org) will present a panel discussion on the consequences of the FDA's further encroachment on patients' rights and policy changes that can restore the ability of patients to choose innovative, life-saving treatments, and protect the rights of physicians to perform them.

This event is co-sponsored by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS – http://AAPSonline.org) and will feature a patient advocate, physician, and two health care policy experts.

TIME:  Wednesday, October 9, 2013, 6pm to 9pm

LOCATION:  National Press Club, 529 14th St NW, Washington, DC.  Video of the event will stream live at http://www.FDAvPatients.com.  The following day an archived video will be available for viewing at this website.

PARTICIPANTS:                

Jane Orient, M.D., Executive Director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) will speak about, "The Invisible Man and the FDA:  the hidden unintended consequences."

Mike Phelan, is a serial entrepreneur, who was the CEO and co-founder of SevOne, one of the fastest growing software companies in the world. He recently stepped down because he has MS. Michael will discuss patients' rights to use their own stem cells for potential life-saving therapies.

Rituparna Basu, Writer and Research Associate for Health Care Policy, the Ayn Rand Institute, will speak about, "Why We Shouldn't Treat Medical Drug and Device Manufacturers as Guilty Until Proven Innocent."

Sally Pipes, is president and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute and Taube Fellow in Health Care Studies.  She has published many columns and five books about Health Care.  She will speak on, "Medical Innovation in the Era of the Affordable Care Act and the FDA."

The panel will be moderated by Richard E. Ralston, Executive Director of Americans for Free Choice in Medicine.

Additional background information can be accessed at http://www.fdavpatients.com/background.

SOURCE Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS)