Prescription Drugs Kill Americans In Large Numbers

 

Prescription drugs kill us in large numbers

Peter C Gøtzsche

• PMID: 25355584
 
• DOI: 10.20452/pamw.2503

Free article

Abstract

Our prescription drugs are the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer in the United States and Europe. Around half of those who die have taken their drugs correctly; the other half die because of errors, such as too high a dose or use of a drug despite contraindications. Our drug agencies are not particularly helpful, as they rely on fake fixes, which are a long list of warnings, precautions, and contraindications for each drug, although they know that no doctor can possibly master all of these. Major reasons for the many drug deaths are impotent drug regulation, widespread crime that includes corruption of the scientific evidence about drugs and bribery of doctors, and lies in drug marketing, which is as harmful as tobacco marketing and, therefore, should be banned. We should take far fewer drugs, and patients should carefully study the package inserts of the drugs their doctors prescribe for them and independent information sources about drugs such as Cochrane reviews, which will make it easier for them to say "no thanks".

Republished in

• Przepisywane leki przyczyną zgonu rzeszy pacjentów.

  Gøtzsche PC.Pol Arch Med Wewn. 2014;124(12):750-6.PMID: 25563628 Polish. No abstract available.

Comment in

• Comment on "Our prescription drugs kill us in large numbers".

  Jaeschke R.Pol Arch Med Wewn. 2015;125(1-2):105-6.PMID: 25728873 No abstract available.
• Comment on "Our prescription drugs kill us in large numbers". Author's reply.

  Gøtzsche PC.Pol Arch Med Wewn. 2015;125(1-2):106-7.PMID: 25728874 No abstract available.

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