I signed, adding the comment that it is time to boycott all Parkinson's clinical trials if they are going to do sham surgery. The number of volunteers has dropped since the 48 volunteers for the Amgen GDNF trials were treated like cattle; and it was impossible to get information, just as today, sinemet CR is being pulled out of major markets by the deliberate shutting down of production lines; and again, it has so far been impossible to get information, such as: by what criteria are entire countries being cut off; by what criteria are thousands of individuals being cut off the drug while others get their supply?
It's like that all the time, year after year: the Parkinson's industry is fat, self-satisfied and complacent; sales of L-Dopa and the agonists are increasing, passing $3 billion per year. Everything is going just fine for the owners of Parkinson's franchises.
But I agree with Paula: Enough.
Nothing will change as long as they believe we cannot hit them back.
(1) Boycott the labs using Parkies as fodder; boycott clinical trials playing with our lives with sham surgery: most countries have already banished this barbaric and unethical practise;
(2) We need help; we have no resources; the PD industry does not answer our questions, and they scorn or push aside those who are just seeking answers: issues such as the disappearance of sinemet in some markets. The state should press charges against the perps. The disappearance of one of the most-prescribed drugs for PD is either gross incompetence; in court it would be called criminal negligence; or it is what it looks like - a deliberate attack on us; a co-ordinated false shortage for some objective we are not told about; but it would appear to be about multi-national drug dealers demonstrating their power over mere national governments. Canada's supply was re-instated at the same time as the remainder of Australia's supply was cut off completely. Or maybe their mule got busted at the airport.
Enough. Is there any way to get this petition out to all sorts of Parkie websites and orgs and especially neurologists, with copies to the "corporate bio-ethicists" who proclaim that there is no problem with Big Pharma's ethics. They need to know that a reaction is building. They need to listen to that rumbling in the distance... it just might be a herd of elephants coming back to re-claim their ivory.
Boycott where needed.
Pressure the legal system to press criminal charges where possible. Their lawyers and political donations will keep them in the streets, but at least they will have that little doubt in their minds.... what if there is a mean old judge whose father died of PDF?