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16
Nov
10

FDA Committee Approves New Lupus Treatment

By Courtnay Leave a Comment
Categories: Advocacy and health
Tags: , ,

From the Lupus Foundation of America:

Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Arthritis Advisory Committee voted overwhelmingly (13 to 2) to recommend BENLYSTA® for approval as a treatment for the autoimmune disease lupus. If FDA approved, BENLYSTA would become the first new treatment for lupus in 52 years. While today’s vote is a positive step, the FDA still must make a final decision to approve BENLYSTA in the coming weeks.

Logo of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ...

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Sandra C. Raymond, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) issued the following statement after the Committee’s vote:

“We are pleased to share the exciting news that BENLYSTA has cleared a significant hurdle on its path to becoming the first FDA-approved medication for lupus in 52 years – since Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. BENLYSTA is now on track to become the first approved treatment ever developed specifically for lupus.

Today’s historic vote by the FDA Advisory Committee is not only a victory for developers Human Genome Sciences and GlaxoSmithKline, but also for the entire lupus research community and industry. We have all worked for decades to overcome many challenges in developing new therapies for this unique and difficult-to-treat disease. For people with lupus, today’s vote represents a beacon of hope that new and improved treatments can be specifically developed for lupus.

The voices of people with lupus were heard loudly and clearly today. Their testimony demonstrated the urgent need to develop new, safe, effective, and tolerable therapies for lupus. Each person with lupus is unique, and if BENLYSTA is approved, it would be a significant and necessary first step towards creating the full arsenal of treatments that lupus requires. The LFA thanks the committee for its time and review to ensure the safety and efficacy of this potential medication for people with lupus. We also want to thank the numerous individuals with lupus and their families, who provided testimony and attended the hearing to show their support.

We are greatly encouraged by today’s vote, and eagerly await the FDA’s final decision. The LFA will continue to follow this process closely, and keep constituents apprised of developments.

About the Lupus Foundation of America
The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) is the foremost national nonprofit organization dedicated to finding the causes of and cure for lupus, and providing support, services, and hope to all people affected by lupus. The LFA and its national network of chapters, support groups, and local representatives conduct programs of research, education, and advocacy.

About Lupus
Lupus is an unpredictable and potentially fatal autoimmune disease in which the immune system is out of balance, causing inflammation and tissue damage to any organ system in the body.  The health effects of lupus include heart attacks, strokes, seizures, and organ failure.  An estimated 1.5 million Americans and at least five million people worldwide have a form of lupus.  For more information, visit www.lupus.org .

About BENLYSTA
BENLYSTA was developed by Human Genome Sciences (HGS) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) as an investigational therapy to treat lupus and last year successfully met its endpoints in two pivotal Phase III clinical trials.

15
Oct
10

Birth Control Matters

By Courtnay Leave a Comment
Categories: Advocacy, health and Politics
Tags: , , , ,

From Planned Parenthood:

Birth Control Matters is an effort to make no-cost prescription birth control available so that all women can use the method that works best for them and to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies.

Affordable prescription birth control is an essential part of health care for millions of women.  The average woman spends 30 years of her life trying to avoid getting pregnant. More than one-third of women voters in America have struggled with the cost of prescription birth control at some point in their lives, and, as a result, have used birth control inconsistently.

Making birth control available at no cost is the single most important step we can take to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies.

The new health care reform law represents the single biggest opportunity to advance women’s health in 45 years.  To make this opportunity a reality, the law must require health plans to provide prescription birth control to women with no co-pays, as part of the prevention provision.  This would be a huge step forward for America – and especially for the many of women in this nation who cannot afford to pay for prescription contraception.

The time has come to provide birth control at no cost to every woman who wants it.

Help us raise one million voices for no-cost birth control. Sign the petition.

12
Oct
10

Ask the DOJ not to defend “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

By Courtnay Leave a Comment
Categories: Advocacy and Politics
Tags: , , ,

From Courage Campaign:

Judge Virginia Phillips ordered the military to immediately suspend and discontinue any investigation, discharge, separation, or other proceeding that may have been commenced under the DADT. Barring a stay by a higher court, the injunction suspends all investigations and prevents all discharges under the policy.

Now, Attorney General Eric Holder and the Justice Department have a choice: fight the decision or let it stand. If they choose not to appeal the injunction, it will move “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” one step closer to the dustbin of history

http://www.couragecampaign.org/DontDefendDADT

The short petition to Attorney General Holder says:

I respectfully write to request that the Department of Justice (DOJ) refrain from appealing the federal district court injunction in Log Cabin Republicans v. United States, following the court decision declaring the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) law unconstitutional.

The leaders of our nation’s armed forces understand that DADT serves no purpose in the laws of our nation; it is time for the DOJ to stop defending this law.

If Attorney General Eric Holder takes leadership, he can help the Obama Administration make history, joining a federal court in the judgement that discrimination — especially against those willing to take a bullet for their country — is un-American.

http://www.couragecampaign.org/DontDefendDADT

Together, we will end this discrimination in our nation’s military once and for all. Thank you.

04
Oct
10

Stand up for Net Neutrality

By Courtnay Leave a Comment
Categories: Advocacy and Politics
Tags: , , , , ,
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From FreePress.net:

A year ago, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski made a promise that he’d deliver on Net Neutrality. “If we wait too long to preserve a free and open Internet, it will be too late,” he said in his first major policy speech in 2009.

It’s been more than a year, now, and we can’t afford to wait any longer for the chairman to keep his word.

Visit http://bit.ly/aONBIj and urge the FCC to act now and save the Internet.

15
Sep
10

Out of exile

By Courtnay 1 Comment
Categories: Personal
Tags: , , ,

For the past few months, I’ve been in a self-imposed exile of sorts, feeling like I couldn’t share what was going on in my life because I was going through a great deal of personal turmoil and since I didn’t know who knew what, I couldn’t go public with what was going on.  But now the cat is finally out of the bag and I know that my soon-to-be ex-husband has told all his family members and close friends that we are getting a divorce.  Despite the fact that I do have a blog and I do share some personal information here, I’m a private person by nature – especially when it comes to my family and my personal relationships – and nothing is more personal than ending a long-term relationship where a child is involved.  At any rate, after wrestling with this decision for several months, I finally feel like we’ve made the right decision and I am at peace.  In fact, I feel like a tremendous weight has been lifted from my shoulders.  The bottom line is that the relationship wasn’t working for either of us anymore and under those circumstances, it’s better for everyone if we end the relationship amicably and move on.  It looks like we’re going to be able to do that so I’m looking forward to moving on, openly and honestly, and beginning the next chapter of my life.

14
Jul
10

Back in the saddle

By Courtnay Leave a Comment
Categories: Freelancing and Personal
Tags: , , ,

So after a month of absolute craziness including an unexpected week long visit from relatives, my partner’s not unexpected but still difficult to deal with job loss, my unrelenting health problems, higher than usual levels of teenage angst which in turn led to major conflicts between my son and his dad, I was left feeling physically and emotionally stressed, drained, exhausted, and depleted. Perhaps because I knew that my financial contributions were so vital to the household and therefore shutting down as I’ve done in the past when I’ve gotten overwhelmed just wasn’t an option but somehow, fortunately, I managed to resist the temptation to either stay in bed all day or run away to Argentina. To my surprise, I found that immersing myself in work was therapeutic and helpful in many ways.

First of all, just being busy and completely engaged in something other than the drama swirling around the house was immensely liberating – of course, I was still aware of everything going on but because my primary focus had shifted to work and my creative endeavors, I was more a casual observer than the unwilling participant I usually am. Also, the realization that I am now actually able to earn enough from my contract and freelance work to keep the household afloat until my partner returns to work full-time was quite a pleasant surprise for me – not to mention a pretty big ego boost! When my chronic health issues first forced me to leave my full-time job six years ago, I sincerely believed it would only be a temporary leave of absence…I had been suffering from debilitating fatigue for months and when it finally became too much to cope with, it seemed reasonable that if I could just rest up for a couple months then I might be able to regain my strength and return to the job I loved. When months (and then years) passed without my health ever returning to “normal”, I had to give up on the idea of going back to my former high-stress full-time job and look at other work options that were more flexible and could easily adapt to my frequent need to adjust my schedule due to fatigue and migraine headaches. After trying several jobs over several years, I’ve finally found a combination of contract and freelance work that meets all my requirements and I can’t even begin to explain just how big a difference that has made in my life.

Now if only I could just figure out how to solve the problem of my surly teenager and his difficult relationship with his dad…

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