We are all swallowing an increasing
number of pills, not just to treat disease but to cut the risk of
getting a disease in the first place. Even in a time of austerity the
NHS is spending nearly £12 billion on drugs and the total keeps rising.
People
believe the drugs are effective and safe because they have all been
properly tested in clinical trials. But this is a dangerous delusion.
Failures
in our system for testing drugs mean not only are drugs often no better
than a placebo, but, at worst, they end up damaging the health of tens
of thousands of Britons every year. Pharmaceutical companies spend
billions conducting trials to come up with evidence for the benefits of
drugs, but they have a number of ways of making small benefits look
impressive.
Source - Daily Mail
