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Washington, D.C. — A
new report issued today by the National Consumers League (NCL)
has found that the American public strongly supports broader
access to treatments — even if they carry additional risks – for
patients suffering from chronic, debilitating conditions such as
Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
NCL commissioned Opinion
Research Corp. to conduct a national survey to examine
consumers’ attitudes towards the risks and benefits of
treatments for chronic, debilitating conditions, as well as
public attitudes towards the role of the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration. The result of the survey is a report, “Public
Attitudes towards Risk, Regulation, and Patient Voices in the
Treatment of Chronic, Debilitating Conditions,” which points to
a public desire to keep medical decisions in the hands of
patients and their physicians.
“To be sure, patients
suffering from chronic, debilitating conditions such as Multiple
Sclerosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s are among the most
medically challenged and knowledgeable in the country. They are
in constant contact with their physicians and have a solid grasp
of benefits and risks,” said Linda Golodner, NCL President. “It
obviously makes sense for these patients to have access to as
many treatment options as possible and make decisions that are
right for them, even if there are additional risks.”
The report had five key
findings:
1. The public overwhelmingly
believes that decisions concerning appropriate treatment should
rest in the hands of physicians and patients. More than nine out
of 10 respondents agreed with the statement: “All medications,
both over-the-counter and prescription, offer benefits but also
carry some risk of side effects. It should be up to physicians
and patients to the weigh benefits against the risks and to make
decisions that are right for them.”
2. The public strongly
supports broader access to treatments – even if they carry
additional risks – for patients suffering from chronic,
debilitating conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s
and Alzheimer’s. Seventy-nine percent of respondents agreed with
the statement: “Due to the severity of chronic, debilitating
conditions, like Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s and
Alzheimer’s, patients suffering from those conditions should
have access to a broader set of treatments, even if they carry
additional risks.”
3. The public endorses
increased involvement by patients suffering from chronic,
debilitating conditions in regulatory decisions related to the
treatment of their conditions.
4. The public supports the
FDA providing timely medical information to enable patients
suffering from chronic, debilitating conditions to make good
decisions on the treatment of their conditions.
5. The public is willing to
assume greater risk of side-effect from new medications if they
demonstrate a clear benefit in treating disease.
“Everything in life carries
risks, but in the case of chronic, debilitating conditions the
greatest risk is a lack of new and improved treatment options,”
Golodner said. “This survey clearly shows that the public
understand this, and wants to see patients and physicians more
involved in the regulatory process so that they can make
informed decisions on their course of treatment.”
A summary of the report,
“Public Attitudes towards Risk, Regulation, and Patient Voices
in the Treatment of Chronic, Debilitating Conditions,” is
available by
clicking here.
About the survey
This
report presents the findings of a telephone survey conducted by
Opinion Research Corporation, between February 23-26, 2006,
among a national probability sample of 1,029 adults.
The
margin of error for this survey is +/- 3 percentage points. |
