Congress Works to Balance Drug Safety and Fast Approval
The recent safety concerns over Vioxx, Ketek, and Avandia are highlighting the longstanding debate on how prescription medications should be approved for use by American consumers. The safety of the three drugs was called into question after the Food and Drug Administration approved them for use. Vioxx has been implicated in thousands of heart attacks, Ketek causes liver failure, and the health hazards of Avandia have only just begun to be realized.
Jerry Avorn, a Harvard Medical School physician, says that he is "deeply disappointed in the way things are headed." He believes that not enough money is spent on "pharmocovigilance;" the term refers to the ongoing study of drug safety.
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