MDs Worry over Drug Safety

 
-May 26, 2005

At least 70 percent of doctors are worried about drug safety, according to a survey released by Medco Health Solutions Inc and conducted by Forrester Research. Experts believe much of this high-level concern is a product of the current climate in US medicine.

With the recall of once-popular drugs like Vioxx and Bextra and the serious risks associated with antidepressants, ADHD drugs , and others, doctors are increasingly less confident in the medicines the prescribe.

According the Medco’s chief medical officer, “There has just been an ongoing flurry of publicity surrounding the safety of medicines, and I think people are becoming more sensitive to that issue.” He added that physicians are struggling with the risk-reward trade-off, in light of this increased public awareness and concern.

The following statistics were gathered from the drug safety survey, in which over 3,000 Americans, including doctors and consumers, were queried.

• 68 percent of doctors would prefer to prescribe a drug that has been on the market for ten years or longer.
• 33 percent of doctors believe that recently approved drugs are less safe than those on the market for over a decade.
• 20 percent of doctors believed that generic drugs are not as safe as brand-name drugs and 8 percent were unsure.
• 55 percent of consumers say they are more worried over the medications they take
• 62 percent of pharmacists say they too are concerned about the safety of the drugs they dispense.

For more information on drug safety information, please contact us to confer with an attorney.

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