If Drugs Were Like Automobiles

John Mack

John Mack is an experienced executive with a background in pharmaceutical marketing communications, interactive technologies and medical privacy. His career has been dedicated to developing and applying best practices, enabling companies to do business more effectively, with greater ROI, and with enhanced trust. Mr. Mack provides leadership roles within many associations and councils focusing on health information, quality, privacy and adoption of technology to healthcare. He also blogs at www.pharmamkting.blogspot.com, and runs the popular Pharma Marketing Network.

According to an Institute for Safe Medication Practices report (see here) more than 1000 reports of patient deaths were received by FDA for rosiglitazone (AVANDIA) in the first three quarters of 2009, “more than any other drug we monitor.”

In contrast, at least 34 deaths have been linked to Toyota vehicle problems going back as far as 2004, forcing Toyota to recall more than 8 million vehicles worldwide.

Not only that, but the top executives of Toyota had to appear before Congress and apologize.

GSK, on the other hand, is on an all out campaign to discredit the Senate investigation of AVANDIA.

If people are afraid to buy Toyotas, they should be about 400 times more afraid to take AVANDIA! I base this on an estimate of yearly death rates of AVANDIA (1333) vs Toyota (3.4).

Just like you can go out and buy a Honda instead of a Toyota, diabetes patients can go out and buy Actos instead of AVANDIA. If, that is, consumers evaluated drugs like they do automobiles.

Read the original here
If Drugs Were Like Automobiles