Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for signing this petition. I truly appreciate the support and I want to give an update and ask you to share the petition one more time. 

It's taken me a little while, but I've finally written detailed letters to 9 drug companies sponsoring 17 originator brand antidepressants in Australia, urging them to update their Consumer Medicines Information (CMI) and Product Information (PI) documents with current evidence about risk of withdrawal, the need for gradual tapering and to remove outdated references to the chemical imbalance theory of depression. Each letter is individually tailored to the specific claims made by each sponsor company for each medication, with suggestions for more appropriate wording. 

When I spoke to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), they suggested targeting originator brands first would be most effective, as the generic brands are likely to just follow suit once the originator brand updates their CMI and PI documents, so that is what I've done. 

Since launching the petition in January, I have had meetings with local politicians from both the Labor and Liberal parties, and received support from Greens and Independents as well. This highlights the strong support for these changes. If the sponsor companies choose to ignore these letters (and therefore, ignore their legal and ethical obligations) we will keep up the pressure and instead take the fight to the TGA. 

Before I send these letters, I want to do one final 7-day push for signatures so that we can make the most impact. Please take this opportunity to share the petition one more time, even if it's just with one person - every signature counts. 

Thank you!

Alicia Martin
Pharmacist and Founder of TaperMate