Aren’t new drugs better and safer? Not necessarily better. Not necessarily safer. With only limited track record, side effects of new drugs aren’t always recognized. After drugs have been available for a few years, doctors and researchers identify the benefits and side effects of drugs.
Researchers interviewed 2944 people about cholesterol drugs and heartburn drugs. “One-quarter of participants believed that the FDA approves only drugs without serious side effects, and more than one-third mistakenly believed that the FDA approves only “extremely effective drugs.”
A September 12, 2011 Science Daily report said it like this: “Approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not necessarily ensure that a drug has a large or important benefit, or that all serious adverse effects of the drug are known…Uncertainties are greatest in the first few years after approval and for drugs approved solely on the basis of a surrogate outcome.” (Sorry folks, I’m not sure what ‘surrogate outcome’ means but it’s part of the quote.) Science Daily, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110912164016.htm
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