Petition updateUrge Novartis to Seek FDA Approval of Everolimus for Heart Transplant PatientsLabel language, donor families, and what I’ve learned from other patients
Payton HerresDayton, OH, United States
Dec 21, 2025
I’ve updated the main petition text to reflect a few important points: • The U.S. label for everolimus still says it is “not recommended in heart transplant patients,” even though some centers use it for carefully selected heart-transplant patients when other options don’t work. • I came so close to running out of everolimus that my donor’s mom was prepared to pay out of pocket so I wouldn’t lose the medication protecting her son’s heart. No donor family should ever be put in that position. • In a small anonymous survey I created for heart-transplant patients on everolimus, some have not had coverage problems yet, while others (including me) have already faced denials or very high costs. Even if it doesn’t happen to everyone, the current label gives insurers an excuse to question or block everolimus when transplant specialists believe it is medically necessary. An organ donation advocate, Brent Whetstone, also wrote about my story and the bigger transplant-medication problem here: https://fieldnotesappalachia.substack.com/p/the-debt-we-all-carry Thank you for continuing to sign and share. Your support is helping this reach the people who can change it. 💚
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