An Associated Press story asks that question, as it looks into why 130 million Americans take prescription drugs each month - far more per person than any other country.
The "overmedicating" leads to drug errors. "More than 125,000 Americans die from drug reactions and mistakes each year, according to Associated Press projections from studies of the 1990s. That could make pharmaceuticals the fourth-leading national cause of death after heart disease, cancer and stroke."
The AP quotes Dr. Marcia Angell, former New England Journal of Medicine editor, saying, "We are taking way too many drugs for dubious or exaggerated ailments. What the drug companies are doing now is promoting drugs for long-term use to essentially healthy people. Why? Because it's the biggest market."
The AP story also reminds us that "in fact, few pharmaceutical newcomers greatly improve the health of patients over older drugs or advance the march of medicine. Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration classified about three-quarters of newly approved drugs as similar to existing ones."
Posted by schwitz at April 20, 2005 07:27 AM