The 'magic' of new medications fades as we consider real world safety

摘要

It's a familiar situation -a new medication hits the market, physicians prescribe it in hopes of a promising and safe new alternative, and after widespread use we begin to hear about adverse effects that may have been either hypothesized in clinical trials or seen at nonsignificant rates related to lack of numbers. Patients hear of the adverse effects through the media and as pharmacists, we are left to answer questions through careful interpretation of the evidence. A study reported in the April 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine,1 investigating the relationship between thiazo-lidinediones and fracture risk, fits into this scenario.