Levine evaluates the effectiveness of new
prescription drugs after the painkiller Vioxx was recalled from the market. This medical phenomenon raised an alarm and caused the public to panic, all the while wondering whether to stop taking other prescription drugs as well. It also raised doubts as to whether other prescription drugs in the market would cause side
effects with the same intensity as that caused by Vioxx. In the middle of all these confusion,
patients begin to point fingers. They blame the drug manufacturers for hiding negative side effects of a new product from the public, the doctors for prescribing a potentially harmful new drug, the pharmacists for dispensing the drug and the government drug licensing agencies for approving the release of a new drug without thoroughly scrutinizing it.
However, in defense of the pharmaceutical companies,
experts emphasize the presence of flaws in the system as there is no such thing as a perfect
medicine. Risks and side effects cannot be eliminated even if a new drug has already passed the necessary tests required. In addition, side effects may be self-induced sometimes, experts say. Patients have the tendency to administer self-medications without first consulting a doctor or to combine a high-risk drug with other medicines. One or both could cause any of the side effects which could range from a very minor to a relatively major one, even to death.
As a conclusion, Levine advises patients to be informed and be cautious, i.e. to consider the
potential dangers of a new drug, compare it with its potential benefits; to listen to our body’s reaction to new drugs; to know, especially if we belong to a special group, if we would be safe taking the new drug and to learn everything we can about the drug before we swallow it. Lastly, she calls for patients to report any side effect to drug regulators as these feedbacks could help settle the debate on the issue.
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