Be wary of ‘game-changers:’ Use drugs wisely and safely
drugs
Vague recall process poses potential harm
New Tricks for Old Drugs? Canada must change how it accesses Essential Medicines
How much interaction should medical students have with industry?
A drug company sales representative stands in front of a class of University of Toronto medical students and delivers her well-rehearsed sales pitch about the benefits of her company’s birth control pill. Hold on: Isn’t this sort of interaction between the pharmaceutical industry and med students supposed to be forbidden because of concerns about conflicts …
It’s time for Canada to leverage “big data” for stronger drug safety
“In God we trust; all others [must] bring data.” – W. Edwards Deming Baycol, Vioxx. Avandia. These medications became household names not for their widespread prescription worth billions of dollars in sales, but for their well-publicized safety concerns that have touched the lives of millions of patients and their families. More than 80 new patented medications …
Doctors & drug reps: prescription for trouble?
New drugs are developed every month, and doctors are continuously bombarded with information. Much of this information is provided by pharmaceutical sales representatives who visit doctors’ offices, sponsor lectures and give out medication samples. Are these encounters in the best interest of patients and the health care system? We went out to the street and …