Vera Sharav

Activist – Holocaust survivor

Sharav was born April 17, 1937 in Romania as Vera Roll and survived the Holocaust as a child. Her mother emigrated to the United States while she was cared for by relatives; she rejoined her mother in New York City when she was 8. Sharav became an activist against aspects of biomedical research after her teenage son died of a reaction to clozapine, which he had been prescribed for schizoaffective disorder. In her blog she criticizes the industry saying it is profit-driven, lies to its consumers and misleads people into participating in trials it pretends are medical treatment. Of particular interest to her are the waivers of informed consent issued by the Food and Drug Administration, which allow unconscious or incapacitated subjects to be tested.