NEW YORK CITY, NY, December 2, 2014 – MedShadow Foundation, a nonprofit online advocacy source that educates consumers on the side effects of prescription medications, today announced it is merging with DES Action USA, a nonprofit advocacy organization that provides information and educational resources to individuals exposed to the harmful drug diethylstilbestrol (DES). The two organizations share a common mission – to educate the public on side effects. MedShadow Foundation was founded in 2012 by Su Robotti, herself a DES Daughter, to inform others on the short and long term side effects of prescription medications.
Patient Advocacy Organizations Share Education Mission
DES Action USA was co-founded in 1978 by Pat Cody, one of the millions of women in the 1950s and 1960s who were given DES to avoid miscarrying during pregnancy. DES was taken off the market in 1971 the U.S. government issued a warning not to prescribe DES to pregnant women, following the publication of a study that linked the drug to a rare vaginal and cervical cancer in young women. “We are thrilled to join forces with DES Action USA,” says Su Robotti, president, MedShadow Foundation. “There is a natural synergy between the mission of our organizations and together we can extend our reach,” she continued.
“We know that MedShadow will continue the meaningful work of DES Action USA,” explains Martha Cody, whose mother Pat Cody co-founded DES Action USA. “We look forward to working with Su and the MedShadow team to ensure a smooth transition.”
DES is the chemical abbreviation for diethylstilbestrol. DES is a non-steroidal estrogen and part of a family of drugs known as endocrine disruptors, a class of chemicals that may interfere with the body’s endocrine system and produce adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects in humans. With more women resorting to hormone replacement therapy and increasing concern about endocrine disruptors in the environment, women who were prescribed DES and their descendants are a prime study group. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) DES Follow-up Study continues to provide important research about the adverse health and reproductive effects of prenatal and generational DES exposure. Additionally, the Sister Study of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) includes a DES focus in its research of the sisters of women who have had breast cancer.
Under the MedShadow umbrella, the DES Action USA website and quarterly VOICE newsletter will continue to be published. The DES Action Facebook page will continue on as will the popular DES Daughter Online Support Group listserv. DES Action’s telephone number and email address will not change.
In 2014, DES Action USA received the designation of Top-Rated Nonprofits using Great Nonprofits. MedShadow carries the HonCode Certificate of compliance with the Code of Conduct HONcode for health online information.
About MedShadow Foundation
Founded in 2012 by Su Robotti, MedShadow Foundation seeks to educate patients and encourage discussion between consumer and health care provider about the short-term and long-term side effects of medication. MedShadow Foundation uses its website and various social media platforms to gather and report news and resources related to the side effects of prescription medications. While recognizing the beneficial, often life-saving effects of drugs, we know that accurate and complete information on side effects is frequently lacking. For more information, visit www.medshadow.org.
