I am a nurse and worked in an intensive care unit for 13 years. In 2004, there was a relatively new drug called Xigris that we used to treat severe sepsis. Xigris was hailed as a miracle drug and a breakthrough in treating severe sepsis.

In 2014 I was admitted to the hospital with severe sepsis. The doctors overseeing my care didn’t even consider treating me with Xigris. That’s because, in 2011, Xigris was withdrawn from all markets. Reason being that the most recent study showed that not only did Xigris not decrease mortality in sepsis, it increased bleeding risks, including intracranial hemorrhage.

My point in bringing up Xigris is that nothing is lost and much can be gained by continued study of any medical treatment. It is arrogant to think that we have learned all we can about the human body. As my favorite pharmacist says, “All medicines are poison, but some have favorable side effects.”

Yet Big Pharma says that people are not allowed to question one of their products. The same industry that created the opioid epidemic lobbied the Legislature until it passed a law mandating that Mainers adhere to their vaccination schedule or lose the ability to get an education in Maine. Families like mine, that do vaccinate, but on an alternative schedule, will no longer be allowed to send their children to school in Maine.

I think it is time for Mainers to stand up to Big Pharma. Vote “Yes On 1” in March, 2020.

Laurel Libby, Auburn

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