Last week’s post talked about the overall safety of natural supplements. Of course, as I said, not every supplement is safe for every person or in every circumstance so using wisdom, moderation and common sense is critical.
I came across this article about drug safety and felt it was a natural next step from last week’s post. A study was conducted which examined the FDA’s drug approval standards. When I suggest a particular drug’s side effects may outweigh the benefits, many times people will counter with – but the FDA approved it so it is safe. But is that really true?
You can read the article, but basically the study found a lack of consistency in how the FDA goes about approving drugs for the public. 37% of all new drugs were approved based on just a single study which is not considered a valid basis for drawing conclusions as to safety. 66% of all new drugs were approved without the evidence of a single study lasting six months or longer. Since side effects can develop over time and sometimes over years, this is a huge concern.
The statistic that bothered me the most is this one: 45% were approved without any direct evidence that they led to the desired outcome. Statins are a great example. It’s been proven that they do not prevent heart attack in the majority of people, yet they are marketed to almost everyone as being the way to cardiovascular health. If the drug doesn’t lead to the outcome you are taking it for, why are you taking it?
How confident are you that the drugs marketed as being tested and safe truly are? In light of these statistics – how confident are you that the drug is actually improving the condition it was prescribed for?
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3-D Vitality 
Ann,
One comes to mind –phen phen (not sure about spelling). It was a weight loss drug that was removed from the market years later after several people died. Interestingly, the people I know that were taking that drug never had any long-term weight loss!
No, I don’t trust the government to decide what is safe for me. I avoid doctors and drugs as much as possible!
Have a Victorious Day!
Marianne
Great example Marianne. And I’m with you – usually when I hear something’s been approved by the FDA it makes me even more cautious, not more confident.
Ann, I shared this one on Facebook. Great information.
Debbie – thank you so much for your comment and for sharing!
Not surprising when you often see news headlines about various drugs being taken off the market after damaging effects. In essence, it seems the general public is the Laboratory for which the drugs get the real test. 🙂
Great way to put it – we are the testing lab for these new drugs unfortunately.