How do the elderly survive?
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/health/18brod.html?ex=1347768000&en=b266560c94be0680&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
Medication errors and the effects of polypharmacy are among the most common causes of serious illnesses, injuring or killing at least 1.5 million people a year with at least $3.5 billion a year in extra hospital costs.
And what about drugs that have been approved by the FDA that can cause serious harm? The Institute of Medicine found the FDA’s system of drug approval and regulation to be in poor condition. IOM filed a report last year in response to criticism over their failure to withdraw Merck’s prescription painkiller Vioxx for over 2 years when it was found to increase the risk of heart attack. Over one million prescriptions sold for Vioxx before the dangers were exposed:
140,000 cases of serious heart disease
55,000 deaths
Why did it take the FDA so long to take the drug off the market? Could it be that the pharmaceutical industry plays a role in the decision making process at the FDA or do they just exert a bit of influence?
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