The FDA has officially rejected the approval of this drug based on the safety concerns we highlighted throughout this campaign. I am grateful to the 454 people who stood by the importance of rigorous scientific standards over deceptive marketing tactics. We will remain vigilant to ensure that public health is …
December 18, 2014
Final supporters
Politics and marketing are endangering women’s sexual health.
Big Pharma has launched a deceptive public relations campaign called “Even the Score” to pressure the Food and Drug Administration to approve a specific drug - flibanserin - for women’s sexual problems, a drug the FDA has rejected for safety reasons twice already.
“Even the Score” claims that the FDA is sexist because “26” drugs are approved for men’s sexual problems and none for women. These numbers are false and have been debunked by publications such as Slate, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Wall Street Journal.
The public must reject the dishonest use of feminist language such as “choice” and “gender equality.”
“Even the Score” urges signing their petition that states “We believe that women have the right to make their own informed choices concerning their sexual health; that gender equality should be the standard in access to sexual dysfunction treatments.” Where is independent testing for safety and effectiveness in this proposal? Should prescription drugs simply be sold over the counter and the public told to act on “informed choices” (often informed by biased PR information)?
What does it mean to demand that “gender equality” should be “the standard in access to sexual dysfunction treatments” as opposed to the FDA’s legal standards of science-based safety and efficacy? These became the FDA’s standards as recently as 1962 because of the scandal around thalidomide and birth defects. Science-based regulation must remain at the center of the drug approval process.
Big Pharma has been looking for blockbuster sex drugs for women since Viagra was approved in 1998 - they even created a disease (“FSD – Female Sexual Dysfunction”) to do so- but the only two drugs that reached the FDA have both been judged too risky for approval.
Don’t be fooled by PR flim-flam dressed up in the language of women’s rights. Let’s support the FDA and demand that Big Pharma cancel its fraudulent PR campaigns.
Updates
Reached 250 supporters
October 3, 2014
October 1, 2014
The momentum behind this petition is increasing as we approach two hundred and fifty signatures. Please direct your contacts to this page so that we maintain the necessary pressure on this issue.
September 2, 2014
The momentum behind this petition confirms that many individuals value scientific integrity over deceptive marketing campaigns. Your engagement demonstrates a clear desire for evidence-based standards in pharmaceutical regulation.
Reached 100 supporters
August 8, 2014
August 8, 2014
We are approaching one hundred signatures on this petition. Gaining this level of support provides the necessary weight to challenge the misleading public relations narrative surrounding this drug. Please prioritize distributing this link among those who value evidence-based medical standards.
78 Comments
As a Public health professional, I vehemently oppose the over medicalisation of life in general and am particularly concerned about the marketing of ineffective medication with possibly dangerous side effects.
We have treatments that are less risky and more effective addressing desire both available and in development. We do not need Flibanserin. I also am concerned about the overlap of scientists funded by the drug maker advocating for it.
Thinking individuals do m=not like to feel they are being duped, but this is precisely what is going on here. People are being duped into thinking this is an equality rights issue when it is quite the opposite.
This medication does quite the opposite of "evening the score." It allows sexism to flourish—the attitude of "what's wrong with me, that I have no desire for this man?" Not only this, but the drug in question is a proven danger to women's health. I urge the FDA to hold fast to its earlier position of banning the drug.
It's unconscionable to try pressure the FDA to approve drugs that do not work and could potentially harm women. For once, they are actually doing a good job protecting the public. Let's applaud them and not appropriate feminist language and tactics for commercial purposes.
I am a student at the University of Minnesota, and I have chosen to do my material transits final paper on this drug. It is crazy that this drug was approved. My thesis for the paper claims that instead of this drug's approval pushing female equality forward, it only further hurts their cause.
Safety, effectiveness and actual medical need should be the main concerns for determining the approval of any drug by the FDA. There should be fully comprehensive, independent study done on the safety of this drug before it can even be considered for approval. Just because this person's sexual desire does not match yours, it doesn't automatically mean it needs to be "fixed"!
Share Petition
Don't stop at signing, share the petition link with friends to multiply our impact
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The FDA has officially rejected the approval of this drug based on the safety concerns we highlighted throughout this campaign. I am grateful to the 454 people who stood by the importance of rigorous scientific standards over deceptive marketing tactics. We will remain vigilant to ensure that public health is …
December 18, 2014
Final supporters
Politics and marketing are endangering women’s sexual health.
Big Pharma has launched a deceptive public relations campaign called “Even the Score” to pressure the Food and Drug Administration to approve a specific drug - flibanserin - for women’s sexual problems, a drug the FDA has rejected for safety reasons twice already.
“Even the Score” claims that the FDA is sexist because “26” drugs are approved for men’s sexual problems and none for women. These numbers are false and have been debunked by publications such as Slate, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Wall Street Journal.
The public must reject the dishonest use of feminist language such as “choice” and “gender equality.”
“Even the Score” urges signing their petition that states “We believe that women have the right to make their own informed choices concerning their sexual health; that gender equality should be the standard in access to sexual dysfunction treatments.” Where is independent testing for safety and effectiveness in this proposal? Should prescription drugs simply be sold over the counter and the public told to act on “informed choices” (often informed by biased PR information)?
What does it mean to demand that “gender equality” should be “the standard in access to sexual dysfunction treatments” as opposed to the FDA’s legal standards of science-based safety and efficacy? These became the FDA’s standards as recently as 1962 because of the scandal around thalidomide and birth defects. Science-based regulation must remain at the center of the drug approval process.
Big Pharma has been looking for blockbuster sex drugs for women since Viagra was approved in 1998 - they even created a disease (“FSD – Female Sexual Dysfunction”) to do so- but the only two drugs that reached the FDA have both been judged too risky for approval.
Don’t be fooled by PR flim-flam dressed up in the language of women’s rights. Let’s support the FDA and demand that Big Pharma cancel its fraudulent PR campaigns.
Updates
Reached 250 supporters
October 3, 2014
October 1, 2014
The momentum behind this petition is increasing as we approach two hundred and fifty signatures. Please direct your contacts to this page so that we maintain the necessary pressure on this issue.
September 2, 2014
The momentum behind this petition confirms that many individuals value scientific integrity over deceptive marketing campaigns. Your engagement demonstrates a clear desire for evidence-based standards in pharmaceutical regulation.
Reached 100 supporters
August 8, 2014
August 8, 2014
We are approaching one hundred signatures on this petition. Gaining this level of support provides the necessary weight to challenge the misleading public relations narrative surrounding this drug. Please prioritize distributing this link among those who value evidence-based medical standards.
78 Comments
I deplore the pharmaceutical industry's use of pseudo-feminist language to try to get FDA support for the drug, filbanserin, a drug that the FDA has rightly rejected twice.
As a Public health professional, I vehemently oppose the over medicalisation of life in general and am particularly concerned about the marketing of ineffective medication with possibly dangerous side effects.
We have treatments that are less risky and more effective addressing desire both available and in development. We do not need Flibanserin. I also am concerned about the overlap of scientists funded by the drug maker advocating for it.
Thinking individuals do m=not like to feel they are being duped, but this is precisely what is going on here. People are being duped into thinking this is an equality rights issue when it is quite the opposite.
This medication does quite the opposite of "evening the score." It allows sexism to flourish—the attitude of "what's wrong with me, that I have no desire for this man?" Not only this, but the drug in question is a proven danger to women's health. I urge the FDA to hold fast to its earlier position of banning the drug.
It's unconscionable to try pressure the FDA to approve drugs that do not work and could potentially harm women. For once, they are actually doing a good job protecting the public. Let's applaud them and not appropriate feminist language and tactics for commercial purposes.
I am a student at the University of Minnesota, and I have chosen to do my material transits final paper on this drug. It is crazy that this drug was approved. My thesis for the paper claims that instead of this drug's approval pushing female equality forward, it only further hurts their cause.
Safety, effectiveness and actual medical need should be the main concerns for determining the approval of any drug by the FDA. There should be fully comprehensive, independent study done on the safety of this drug before it can even be considered for approval. Just because this person's sexual desire does not match yours, it doesn't automatically mean it needs to be "fixed"!
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I deplore the pharmaceutical industry's use of pseudo-feminist language to try to get FDA support for the drug, filbanserin, a drug that the FDA has rightly rejected twice.