Congratulations: Percy, Patient Represantative to FDA Advisory Commmit

Our Percy has qualified and has been accepted to function as Patient Representatives to the FDA Advisory Committees.

The process of application and acceptance is lengthy, challenging and very time consuming. Our Percy weathered the storm (so to say) and is now officially representing our patient community and that of other diseases.

A quick overview of the position:

The Patient Representative is responsible for providing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the advisory committee the unique perspective of patients and family members directly affected by a serious or life-threatening disease. The Patient Representative should have:

• Personal experience with and/or be knowledgeable about the specific illness or condition under discussion by the committee;
• The ability to articulate the perspective of patients;
• Experience as a patient advocate
• Formal affiliation with a patient advocacy organization;
• The ability to identify issues through communication with patient constituencies.

The Patient Representative’s role is to provide the advisory committee and FDA insight on issues, problems, and/or questions pertinent to the viewpoint of patients and family members living with a specific serious or life-threatening disease. S/he serves as either a voting or non-voting member of the advisory committee.

At the conclusion of each meeting, the Patient Representative will be encouraged to provide OSHI with a brief summary of his/her experience on the advisory committee and suggestions for enhancing patient representation, if any.

The Patient Representative must be well-informed about patient concerns and have the ability to understand and actively participate in advisory committee discussions. The Patient Representative serves on advisory committees when a product or therapy (drug, biologic or medical device) related to a serious or life-threatening disease is under review