Prescrire examined the packaging quality of 240 drugs in 2015. No new advances were identified, but drug packaging continues to expose patients to a variety of dangers. Some past advances persist: for example, INNs are often more legible, and recent patient leaflets tend to be clearer and more informative. But these measures are not applied to all drugs, and are rarely applied retroactively to ...

Over the past 20 years, an estimated $1 billion has been spent in research and development of stroke therapeutics; however, this huge investment has failed to produce a clinically efficacious drug with the exception of the thrombolytic agent Activase (tPA). This sobering reality has been the subject of numerous reflections by renowned leaders in stroke research with special focus on the most re...

Amiodarone therapy remains controversial with a diversity of opinion regarding its efficacy and toxicity, the usefulness of electrophysiologic studies for predicting long-term suc• cess and the risks and benefits of permitting its general availability. The drug is unique among cardiovascular com• pounds in its methods of entry onto the American scene; a number of important lessons are to be lea...

When a great profession and the forces of capitalism interact, drama is likely to result. This has certainly been the case where the profession of medicine and the pharmaceutical industry are concerned. On display in the relationship between doctors and drug companies are the grandeur and weaknesses of the medical profession — its noble aspirations and its continuing inability to fulfill them. ...