Posts Tagged ‘petition’

August23

If you take Nexium, Prilosec or similar stomach acid-reducing drugs, you should read this

By: Angela Bradbery

Flickr photo by JudeanPeoplesFront

Have you ever taken Nexium, Prilosec or many other stomach acid-reducing drugs? Chances are, you or someone you know has. They are among the most widely prescribed drugs in the U.S.

But these drugs can cause long-term dependence and should carry the strongest possible warning label for a variety of dangerous adverse effects, Public Citizen told the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a petition sent today.

The drugs are proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), so-named because of the mechanism they use to shut off the production of stomach acid. An estimated  119 million prescriptions dispensed in 2009 and $13.6 billion in U.S. sales. About 1 of every 20 people in the developed world is taking the medications, which include Nexium, Dexilant, Prilosec, Prilosec OTC, Zegerid, Zegerid OTC, Prevacid, Prevacid 24-Hr, Protonix, Aciphex, Vimovo and numerous generic counterparts, most prominently omeprazole and pantoprazole.

Said Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group:

These drugs are being prescribed far too commonly to people who shouldn’t be taking them. As a result, millions of people are needlessly setting themselves up to become dependent on PPIs while exposing themselves to the serious risks associated with long-term therapy. The FDA should act immediately to ensure that patients and physicians are adequately warned of these effects, and reminded of the many safer alternatives for common conditions such as acid reflux.

PPIs are approved to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) – sometimes referred to as acid reflux – as well as gastric ulcers, erosive esophagitis and stomach bleeding associated with using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). But evidence shows that after using PPIs for a month or more, patients who stop taking the drug make even more stomach acid than before they started the drug, a phenomenon known as rebound acid hypersecretion, which causes acid reflux symptoms to return even worse than before therapy.

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Posted in: Consumer Protection, Health, Pharmaceuticals, Product Safety, Regulation1 comments

October6

Fight corporate power by gathering signatures in your community

By: Rick Claypool

We’ve seen an extraordinary amount of enthusiasm in recent weeks for our effort to build a grassroots movement for a constitutional amendment to restore free speech and fair elections to the people.

In our recent survey, activists across the nation expressed interest in supporting our effort to undo the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission by gathering petition signatures.

So we created a printer-friendly version of the constitutional amendment petition (PDF), a tip sheet about how to gather petition signatures and a web page where activists can pledge to collect signatures.

We’re already coordinating with activists in Washington, D.C., who are planning to help us gather signatures at several events, including Jon Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity. And we’re encouraging activists across the nation to help build the movement by gathering signatures in their own communities.

Petitioning is a fundamental way to show Congress and others in power that the American people demand action against the threat to our democracy posed by the flood of unlimited corporate money into our elections. And we’re convinced that once they hear about it, millions more will join this cause.

As Americans gather this fall for events ranging from local festivals and concerts to political rallies and demonstrations, everyone can play a critical role by collecting signatures.

So take the pledge to gather signatures for the Don’t Get Rolled petition. If you have any questions or ideas, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at action@citizen.org.

Posted in: Activism, Campaign Finance, Congress1 comments

June3

Revolving door between Congress and Wall Street even bigger than we thought

By: Editor

The army of “revolving door” lobbyists bidding for the financial services industry is even larger that we thought. After combing through Senate lobbying disclosure records, we reported in November that at least 940 lobbyists in the financial services sector.

This week, we partnered with the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) on an update to that report that included data from CRP’s in-house revolving doors database (catching lobbyists who do not report to their employment histories on their lobbying disclosure forms) as well as Senate records showing an additional two reporting quarters.

The result: At least 1,447 of the lobbyists employed by the financial services sector since 2009 previously held a government job. That is nearly 56 percent of the 2,603 lobbyists, all told, who worked for the sector in the time period.

Among these “revolving doors” are 73 former

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Posted in: Activism, Open Government3 comments

May25

WANTED: Progress in the Gulf

By: Dorry Samuels

Jeez. Still no good news when it comes to cleaning up the oil spill that started more than a month ago. Oil is still gushing into the water, the industry’s plans to top the geyser keep failing, the government still has not intervened and no entity has accepted responsibility for the environmental catastrophe. And as we wait, birds are covered in oil. Crabs are covered in oil. Marshes are covered in oil. Sea turtles are washing ashore, dead. Jellyfish, too. You get it. It’s bad.

But in case you’re a visual learner, these images will leave you horrified and searching for a way to help.

What’s Public Citizen doing in response? Using the power of the purse. We are boycotting BP, the company that leased the rig responsible for the hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil spilling into the Gulf every day. Our petition page already has more than 12,500 signatures (add yours now!), our Facebook page has nearly 3,500 fans (join that, too!) and media outlets keep our phones ringing off the hook, wanting more information on this devastating spill. Help us reach our goal of a million supporters!

The Washington Post ran a piece today highlighting our boycott. In it, some people talked about ignoring the boycott for the sheer convenience of going to BP stations. They’ll never learn! Join our efforts and show them what it means to affect change.

Our sister blog has a post about another Washington Post story revealing that some environmental groups take money from oil companies, including BP. (Public Citizen is not among them; we take no corporate or government money.)

And in case we’ve depressed you too much, a little something to give you a laugh, courtesy of Politico.

Posted in: Activism, Energy, Environment, Workplace Health & Safety2 comments

May14

There will be blame: Oil spill meets The Daily Show

By: Dorry Samuels

Nobody can say it quite like Jon Stewart. The man has a gift for pointing out the absurd and capitalizing on it, granted, sometimes for a cheap laugh.

The absurdity he highlighted in last night’s episode focused on the oil spill in the Gulf — discussing plans to stop the oil from pouring into the water, and trying to pinpoint who is responsible for the spill and the aftermath. (WARNING: Stewart’s humor is a bit risque in this clip.)

Here are the plans to stop the oil geyser: Top hat. Hot tap. Are these solutions or anagrams, Stewart asked. Next up, the junk shot. (You can use your imagination on Stewart’s take of the solution.) But yeah, let’s throw golf balls, debris and other waste at the well, hoping to clog it up. Seriously.

As for accountability, was it BP? No, they only leased the rig. Was it Transocean? No, concrete blocks failed, not them. Who made the concrete blocks? Halliburton. The list goes on and on.

Now, it’s We, the People’s turn to hold BP accountable. Public Citizen urges drivers to boycott BP and fill up elsewhere. Join the Facebook group, sign the petition and tell your friends!

(Full disclosure: Joe Newman promised me a penny for every person who joins the Facebook group, 1,000,000 Strong to Boycott BP. That means if a million people join, I get $10,000. If you don’t do it for the environment, do it for me!)

Posted in: Activism, Energy1 comments

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