Recent comments

Uh, Hello - A medical report (see below) in 1998 estimated that adverse reactions to prescription drugs are killing about 106,000 Americans each year -- roughly three times as many as are killed by automobiles. This makes prescription drugs the fourth leading killer in the U.S., after heart disease, cancer, and stroke. So, by Mr. Newsom's logic, pharmacies would have to eliminate their main product line, which would be a great service to the vast majority of users who don't really need drugs. Lifestyle education and promotion would be a much better investment of time and money. But, alas, where's the cash cow in that? Jason Lazarou and others, "Incidence of Adverse Drug Reactions in Hospitalized Patients," JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION Vol. 279, No. 15 (April 15, 1998), pgs. 1200-1205. And see: David W. Bates, "Drugs and Adverse Drug Reactions; How Worried Should We Be? [editorial]" JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION Vol. 279, No. 15 (April 15, 1998), pgs. 1216-1217.