Are We Using Drugs Safely Enough?
My conversation with Nader was very disturbing and his assessment of the FDA and the medical profession shook my confidence. I could not help but remember our own Corvairs, which were enthusiastically prescribed until safety concerns blew them up. In rheumatology alone, we have had Duract, Suprol, Xomax, Oraflex, Selecryn, Vioxx, and Bextra removed from the market and, unless you treat racehorses, I wouldn’t write a prescription for phenylbutazone if I were you.
On the plane home, I began to think of whether I was still prescribing Corvairs to my patients and how many of the drugs I prescribe actually have risks that outweigh their benefits.
In a future column, I will provide my own perspective on using drugs more safely. I will also discuss the Peltzman Effect, a concept that arose in the aftermath of Nader’s scrutiny of the auto industry, and how it influences medical practice.
Dr. Pisetsky is physician editor of The Rheumatologist and professor of medicine and immunology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.
