Keep Eugene Shapiro OFF the TBD Working Group

Keep Eugene Shapiro OFF the TBD Working Group

Started
May 19, 2019
Petition to
US Department of Health and Human Services Tick-Borne Disease Working Group and 2 others
Signatures: 38,792Next Goal: 50,000
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Why this petition matters

Started by Dorothy Leland

SIGN THE PETITION TO LET H.H.S. KNOW THAT SHAPIRO IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE WORKING GROUP MEMBER.

Putting Dr. Eugene Shapiro on the federal Tick-Borne Disease Working Group is a kick in the teeth to Lyme disease patients everywhere. 

Here are some of the ways he has worked against Lyme patients over the years:

He has testified in court against Lyme-treating doctors, including Connecticut pediatrician Charles Ray Jones, seeking to get their medical licenses revoked. He has helped insurance companies deny disability benefits to Lyme patients. He has financial conflicts of interest related to vaccines.

Shapiro rejects out of hand the concept of “chronic Lyme disease.” He insults and dismisses Lyme patients, their treating physicians, and any supporting research they point to. (“Fake research,” he calls it.)

He served on the IDSA’s 2006 Lyme guidelines panel, and was called out by then-Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal for flagrant financial conflicts of interest.

Currently, he is a named defendant in Torrey vs. IDSA et al. This is a federal lawsuit that charges the guidelines authors and eight insurance companies with conspiring to deny medical care to Lyme disease patients.

He is also a board member of the American Lyme Disease Foundation. Although the ALDF is viewed by the Lyme community as a mouthpiece for the IDSA, its website misleadingly suggests that it represents patient interests. 

The TBDWG was formed after the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act. It was included in that bill at the request of patients with chronic Lyme disease. The purpose of the Working Group is to advance the interests of patients with chronic Lyme disease and to include their voices in the discussion of what research to prioritize. 

Here are a few statements the Shapiro has made on the record:

·       “There is no such thing as chronic Lyme disease.”

·       “90% of Lyme cases are cured with doxycycline for a few weeks.”

·       “Neurologic Lyme in children doesn't exist.”

·       “This isn't AIDS that we're talking about or preventing, folks. It's not a big deal if you get Lyme disease. It's easy to treat and cure.”

Does that sound like someone you want helping to craft Lyme disease policy for the US government? We sure don't think so. 

Read more about why LymeDisease.org protests Shapiro's participation in the Working Group.

SIGN THE PETITION TO LET H.H.S. KNOW THAT SHAPIRO IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE WORKING GROUP MEMBER.

 

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Signatures: 38,792Next Goal: 50,000
Support now
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Decision Makers

  • Tick-Borne Disease Working GroupUS Department of Health and Human Services
  • James J BergerUS Department of Health and Human Services
  • Alex AzarSecretary, Dept of Health and Human Services