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Widow to testify at Senate committee hearing on drug safety
Los Angeles, CA
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Baum Hedlund client, Kimberly Witczak, is the only victim scheduled to testify on Wednesday, March 14, 2007, before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Ms. Witczak will be testifying about the need for proper warnings on drug labels and the need for FDA reform. She wants the black box warnings now in effect concerning an increased risk of suicidality in children and adolescents to extend to adults of all ages.
What: U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND PENSIONS
Hearing: Drug User Fees: Enhancing Patient Access and Drug Safety
When: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 – 10:15 am
Where: Room 430, Dirksen Senate Office Building
Who: Witness List: Panel I - Andrew von Eschenbach, MD, Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Rockville, MD. Panel II - Kim Witczak, Founder of Woody Matters, Minneapolis, MN; Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, American Enterprise Institute, Washington, DC; D. Bruce Burlington, MD, Executive Vice President, Quality, Regulatory and Safety, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Collegeville, PA; Diane Dorman, Vice President, Public Policy, National Organization for Rare Disorders, Washington, DC.
Kim Witczak's written statement: http://www.consumersunion.org/KimWitczakWrittenStatement.pdf
Consumer's Union press release: http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_health_care/004312.html
About Kim and Woody Witczak
Kim's husband, Timothy (Woody) Witczak, was a 37-year-old dynamic and upbeat, happily married man who was prescribed Zoloft because he was having difficulty sleeping due to job-related stress. He was on Zoloft for about five weeks with an increased dose before he committed suicide (by hanging himself from the rafters in his garage). He had no history of mental illness or suicidality.
His symptoms after Zoloft and before his death included profuse sweating, worsened insomnia, horrible nightmares, headaches, agitation and an odd feeling in his head (he told his wife that he felt like his head was "detached from [his] body") This phenomenon has been acknowledged by Pfizer in internal company documents to be a side effect of Zoloft.
Kim Witczak has become an influential victim advocate for drug safety. As a result of Woody's death, Kim established www.woodymatters.com. The website serves as an information clearing house on antidepressant risks and a forum for other victims. FDA reform has become an increasingly important goal of woodymatters.com. Kim has traveled to Washington D.C. over 20 times to advocate for antidepressant warnings as well as FDA reform. Kim has, on numerous occasions, testified before the FDA, US Congress, and Minnesota legislature concerning these issues. Kim's story has been featured in a number of news reports, including the November 2005 issue of Fortune Magazine and in an I-Team feature on WCCO TV in Minneapolis. She has also been on NPR regarding drug advertising.
See: WCCO TV I-Team Report: www.wcco.com/iteam/local_story_142142535.html
Star Tribune article "The Battle for Woody": www.baumhedlundlaw.com/media/ssri/Zoloft/Witczak/Battle-for-Woody.pdf
About Baum Hedlund
Baum Hedlund has been advocating for better warning labels on antidepressants since 1990, when it first took on Eli Lilly in the Prozac suicide litigation. The firm has since handled litigation against Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline for suicides in people taking Zoloft or Paxil. In addition to representing thousands in antidepressant injury cases, one of the firm's partners, Karen Barth Menzies, has testified four times before the government, including in December of 2006, regarding the need for proper warnings for adults of all ages taking antidepressants. Ms. Menzies' December 2006 submission to the FDA regarding antidepressant suicidality in adults and the referenced internal company documents can be viewed by going to: www.baumhedlundlaw.com/KBMFDATestimony/KBMFDAWrittenComments.htm
What: U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND PENSIONS
Hearing: Drug User Fees: Enhancing Patient Access and Drug Safety
When: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 – 10:15 am
Where: Room 430, Dirksen Senate Office Building
Who: Witness List: Panel I - Andrew von Eschenbach, MD, Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Rockville, MD. Panel II - Kim Witczak, Founder of Woody Matters, Minneapolis, MN; Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, American Enterprise Institute, Washington, DC; D. Bruce Burlington, MD, Executive Vice President, Quality, Regulatory and Safety, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Collegeville, PA; Diane Dorman, Vice President, Public Policy, National Organization for Rare Disorders, Washington, DC.
Kim Witczak's written statement: http://www.consumersunion.org/KimWitczakWrittenStatement.pdf
Consumer's Union press release: http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_health_care/004312.html
About Kim and Woody Witczak
Kim's husband, Timothy (Woody) Witczak, was a 37-year-old dynamic and upbeat, happily married man who was prescribed Zoloft because he was having difficulty sleeping due to job-related stress. He was on Zoloft for about five weeks with an increased dose before he committed suicide (by hanging himself from the rafters in his garage). He had no history of mental illness or suicidality.
His symptoms after Zoloft and before his death included profuse sweating, worsened insomnia, horrible nightmares, headaches, agitation and an odd feeling in his head (he told his wife that he felt like his head was "detached from [his] body") This phenomenon has been acknowledged by Pfizer in internal company documents to be a side effect of Zoloft.
Kim Witczak has become an influential victim advocate for drug safety. As a result of Woody's death, Kim established www.woodymatters.com. The website serves as an information clearing house on antidepressant risks and a forum for other victims. FDA reform has become an increasingly important goal of woodymatters.com. Kim has traveled to Washington D.C. over 20 times to advocate for antidepressant warnings as well as FDA reform. Kim has, on numerous occasions, testified before the FDA, US Congress, and Minnesota legislature concerning these issues. Kim's story has been featured in a number of news reports, including the November 2005 issue of Fortune Magazine and in an I-Team feature on WCCO TV in Minneapolis. She has also been on NPR regarding drug advertising.
See: WCCO TV I-Team Report: www.wcco.com/iteam/local_story_142142535.html
Star Tribune article "The Battle for Woody": www.baumhedlundlaw.com/media/ssri/Zoloft/Witczak/Battle-for-Woody.pdf
About Baum Hedlund
Baum Hedlund has been advocating for better warning labels on antidepressants since 1990, when it first took on Eli Lilly in the Prozac suicide litigation. The firm has since handled litigation against Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline for suicides in people taking Zoloft or Paxil. In addition to representing thousands in antidepressant injury cases, one of the firm's partners, Karen Barth Menzies, has testified four times before the government, including in December of 2006, regarding the need for proper warnings for adults of all ages taking antidepressants. Ms. Menzies' December 2006 submission to the FDA regarding antidepressant suicidality in adults and the referenced internal company documents can be viewed by going to: www.baumhedlundlaw.com/KBMFDATestimony/KBMFDAWrittenComments.htm
Robin McCall
Media Relations Director
Baum, Hedlund, Aristei, Goldman & Menzies, A Law Corporation
Los Angeles, CA
310-207-3233
310-820-7444
First Url: Kim Witczak's written statement:
Second Url: www.woodymatters.com
