A San Diego woman will be among dozens people in front of Congress asking for accelerated approval of a potentially life-saving drug for those living with ALS.
Linda Clark will be among those handing out the boxes of signatures on the online petition, asking members of key committees to push for the FDA to approve the potentially life-saving drug.
The group will be in front of Congress presenting more than 500,000 signatures on a Change.org petition that asks the US Food and Drug Administration put Genervon’s GM604 drug on the Accelerated Approval Process track so people living with ALS can access the drug faster.
Clark’s husband is living with the disease and first read about it last October. To him, she said, it was a "no-brianer."
"Now that we understand a little bit more about Accelerated Approval Process, we think that if we can get this drug pushed through the system, we can get other drugs could soon follow and that gives the whole ALS community a reason to keep fighting for their lives," said Clark.
She called her time at the Capitol a humanitarian mission and said the drug, for the first time, gave both her and her huband hope.
"My husband views this as a no brainer," said Clark. "He’s not the least bit concerned about any potential side effect because living with ALS on a daily basis you’ve pretty lost all the reasons for living."
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The online petition was started by Bethany Cleveland and Jahed Majed and members from the Every 90 Minutes Foundation and the Abigail Alliance joined in distributing signatures.
ALS is a degenerative neurological disease that is currently fatal. More than 30,000 Americans suffer from the disease.
Genervon has been in talks with the FDA about the approval process and petitioners expect a decision in the coming months, according to a release on the event. Without the approval, patients could wait an additional three years before they are able to have access to the drug.
