In the News – There’s an Average of 70 Side Effects Per Prescription Drug

Snippet from the article:

Lists of the side effects for prescription medications on drug labels, packaging and advertisements have mushroomed up to an average of 70 per medication, a new study reports.

Cautions about side effects were designed to inform doctors and consumers of potential hazards, but this expansion may have more to do with worries about litigation rather than actual health concerns, say the study authors, who argue the information could be presented much more efficiently.

“Having a high number of side effects on a drug’s label should not suggest that the drug is unsafe. In fact, much of this labeling has less to do with true toxicity than with protecting manufacturers from potential lawsuits,” the study’s lead author Dr. Jon Duke, Regenstrief Institute investigator and assistant professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, said in a university news release.

Read the full text — Lists of Prescription Meds’ Side Effects Keep Growing

Although the article isn’t about hair loss, in light of the recent hubbub about Merck, finasteride, and side effects, I thought this was an interesting study worth sharing.