Using patients to promote evidence-based prescribing: comment on 'Communicating uncertainties about prescription drugs to the public'.

摘要

Billions of dollars are spent each year on drugs with unproven clinical effectiveness and limited safety records. Sales of ezetimibe totaled over dollar4 billion per year in 2010 despite little evidence of benefit on meaningful clinical outcomes as a substitute or adjunct to statin therapy. Millions of people were early adopters of rofe-coxib (Vioxx) and rosiglitazone (Avandia), only to see these drugs withdrawn or restricted due to safety concerns. What can be done to increase rational prescribing?