Amarillo, Texas resident Kevin Keith Langemeier died on March 21, 2023, because the Clozapine REMS erroneously blocked his antipsychotic prescription for five days. The national story and his family's statement about clozapine restrictions can be found here.
“There is a tight timetable in which he can refill due to regulation surrounding the drug and the need for a blood draw. It's not something he can stockpile. His mother desperately tried to get his Clozapine restocked, but the Center in charge of his prescription had multiple delays for multiple reasons surrounding the government website supposedly being down, assigned staff being out, unanswered calls to them, mistakes made by other staff, and then regular closures on the weekend. She made multiple phone calls to the Center and also pleaded with multiple pharmacies to fill this prescription throughout the week before the incident. However, despite Kevin running out of Clozapine on Wednesday, it wasn't filled until Monday. This was the day before his death. By that point, his mental disorder had taken control and his mother didn't have resources to calm him down and stabilize him.”
- Statement from the Family of Kevin Keith Langemeier
A message to the Langemeier Family from The Angry Moms:
Our deepest condolences for your loss. We can see from his online presence that Kevin was a very dear man who courageously conquered his psychiatric challenges and became active with helping others through the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Your son’s death was entirely preventable, and the FDA is directly responsible. Many agencies have been sounding the alarm about the deadly clozapine REMS program, including the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance (S&PAA) and several others. The FDA has failed to take any meaningful action to reduce the well-known risks of interrupted clozapine treatment. The FDA has failed to address insurmountable barriers to this life-saving medication. The FDA’s regulatory policies represent complete detachment from the seriousness of psychiatric conditions and decades of systemic institutional discrimination. Mothers and caregivers fight weekly battles to ensure their loved ones have access to clozapine. We are forced to live in constant fear that this vital treatment could be interrupted with deadly consequences. The Angry Moms are fighting for change, and we are ready to fight for justice for Kevin Keith Langemeier.
- The Angry Moms