Share Maxine's Story
Drugs and medical products have the ability to improve your health if they work, or seriously injure or kill you if they are dangerous. And companies that produce drugs and devices have a lot at stake when the government is evaluating whether a new product is safe to put out on the market. So why is Congress currently considering giving these companies more influence over how the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves drugs and medical devices?
According to new UCS analysis, these companies have spent $700 million dollars lobbying Congress. And Congress seems to be blind to the human costs of the FDA’s decisions—that’s why they need to hear about Gwen and her mother, Maxine.
Maxine suffered several strokes after taking Vioxx for arthritis pain—cutting short the active retirement Maxine shared with her husband, Eugene, after decades working a Nebraska family farm. Maxine moved into a nursing home, where she lived out the rest of her life. Eugene, unable to keep up the house by himself, moved into an assisted living facility. Maxine’s many grandchildren were deprived of her love. And Gwen no longer has the mother she was used to confiding in.
Please use the links below to share Maxine's story with your senators on Facebook and Twitter—make a public statement to Congress and your friends and family that we need a strong and independent FDA to protect public health. You can also send the same message by calling the Captiol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and requesting your senator's office.
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