There is an endless list of drugs that have to be withdrawn because of side effects

Myth: There is an endless list of drugs that have to be withdrawn because of side effects and these side effects are a major cause of hospital deaths.

Only around 4 in every 100 medicines are withdrawn after their launch because of side effects which were undetected during both human and animal tests. Of the 2,000 types of medicine on the market, since 1961 only about 40 have been withdrawn in the UK, US, France or Germany due to serious side effects. This indicates a success rate of at least 98% for medicines testing. Only 10 of the 40 medicines withdrawn have been withdrawn in all four countries.

Numbers of drug induced deaths or hospitalisation due to side effects are often exaggerated or misleading. Most of these deaths are not caused by normal doses of drugs, but are in fact due to accidental or deliberate overdose.

IMAGE: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/KUTAYTANIR

Associated Links:

• Development of new treatments
• Safety testing