It is this reporter’s opinion that too many of us are unconcerned about our medical well-being until the problem strikes home.
Recently, I read two outstanding articles concerning medical errors and overdependence on prescription drugs. One was written by Jan Greene, writing for the Los Angeles Times, and the other was penned by Melody Petersen who covered the drug industry for The New York Times.
Petersen tells us that one out of 10 hospitalized patients picks up an infection or suffers as the result of some kind of mistake while in the hospital.
The article cites the case of actor Dennis Quaid and his wife, Kimberly, whose newborn twins were given overdoses of blood-thinner at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
I recently underwent a similar experience in which I was administered a blood-thinner which is prescribed to prevent the possibility of a heart attack.
Although this drug was administered by a top-flight doctor, I was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, after reacting negatively to the drug causing massive bleeding. I received two blood transfusions to stabilize my condition.
After this experience, I realized the need for patients to protect themselves. I also realized why the pharmaceutical industry has become one of the wealthiest and most powerful groups on the earth.
Beginning in a few weeks and continuing over the next seven years, some of the biggest selling, most profitable drugs in history will lose their patent protection. We are talking about billions of dollars.
Drug companies relentlessly promote new pills that doctors know little about.
This was evident in the case of Vioxx, a heavily promoted pain killer. It was prescribed to more than 20 million patients before Merck recalled it from the market because it doubled the risk of heart attack.
An FDA scientist estimated Vioxx may have caused heart attacks or strokes in as many as 120 Americans and that 30 percent to 40 percent of them died!
Some of these giant pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb, are now laying off thousands of employees. Pfizer explained that they began reducing their sales force. They henceforth would now have only two sales reps calling on each physician, down from three and four before.
American consumers are becoming aware of the medical error problems and are checking on results of medical tests.
Here are the results of a survey to be included in Petersen's new book “Our Daily Meds: How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs”:
48 percent are concerned about the safety of medical care.
34 percent had experienced a medical error or said a family member had.
92 percent said medical errors should be reported.
63 percent said medical error reports should be made public.
69 percent have checked that a drug they received from a pharmacy is the same as their doctor prescribed.
The book will be released in mid-March by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
Having read these reports on prescribed blockbuster drugs and medical errors, one can only warn, “patient protect thyself!”
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