Question

Please answer the questions after reading this article. Please be concise and answers the questions perfectly.

An older issue of Discover Magazine has a great article entitled "Wonder Drugs That Can Kill."

Questions:

1. Name two of the drugs discussed in this article, what they are used for, and why their efficacy may be debateable.

2. How do economics and insurance companies affect the drug industry and medical community as a whole?

3. Name two ways the article says drugs can be made to look better and safer that they actually are.

4. Whar are combination end points? How do they affect conclusions when analyzing data?

5. Define all cause morbidity and all cause mortality. At what point do the benefits of a drug outweigh the potential risks?

6. In cases like those cited in the article, who is at fault if an unsafe drug is used: the media, the pulic, drug companies, or doctors?

7. What steps could be taken to make drugs safer?

Answer 1

Answer

1. The two drugs discussed -

• tPA
• COX-2 inhibitors

Drug name	Use	Why effeciency is debateable
tPA	Stroke treatment, it is a clot bluster	this drug cannot be used in case of bleeding. even though CAt scan showed no sigh of bleeding, still after using the patient died of brain hemorrhage.
COX-2 inhibitors	painkiller	It caused heart attack.

2. Role of economics and insurance companies in drug industry and medical community-

• Drug companies are paying more attention to advertisement, hoping to get more profit; not payi g much attention on the side effects and quality of drug.

Advertise in media caused more demand for wonder drug.

3.two ways drugs can be made better looking than they actually are-

• Advertisement on a larger scale.Media showing coverage on miracle drug.
• Research studies reguarding the drug are either false or exaggerated.