Dear FDA and elected officials,

We are asking you to press the FDA to declare a drug shortage of the medically necessary estradiol (estrogen) patch. 

Estradiol has been found to lower cardiovascular, osteoporosis, and colon cancer risk in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.

Estradiol alleviates numerous troubling symptoms ranging from hot flashes, to insomnia, to depression and anxiety, among many others. These symptoms have been found to contribute to missed work and loss of productivity for women.

The standard of care is to give estradiol transdermally, through a patch or a gel, to reduce the blood clot risk that oral estrogen may carry.

Women need access to the estradiol patch. It’s a medically necessary medication.

Per the FDA website, a drug shortage is defined as “a period of time when the demand or projected demand for the drug within the United States exceeds the supply of the drug.”

Women are calling numerous pharmacies, going without their hormones for weeks, using old patches of incorrect dose, and are attempting to make do with cutting and doubling up of patches to approximate their dosages. 

Clinicians are spending countless hours each week adjusting, re-prescribing, and troubleshooting this problem.

We ask the FDA to declare a medication shortage of the estradiol patch. By doing so, the FDA could “take action to address underlying causes and to enhance product availability.” The FDA could also work with other companies to help them ramp up production, among other helpful actions, according to their website.

It is the FDA’s duty to ensure women are represented in research and continue to have access to these medically necessary medications. Please help us make this happen.

Sincerely,

American Women