If four full 737s were crashing daily, resulting in total loss of life, there would be a public outcry. Yet, we lose an equivalent number of people daily to adverse drug events—275,000 annually. This public health crisis largely goes unnoticed, affecting individuals one at a time in various healthcare settings. Many adverse drug events are unrecorded due to outdated surveillance, and most occur even when medications are used correctly, contradicting common belief that non-adherence is the primary issue.
Women are disproportionately affected by adverse drug events, being twice as likely to experience them, alongside non-White patients. The reason behind this discrepancy lies in the fact that clinical trials for the majority of generic drugs were conducted long ago and primarily involved White males of European descent. This lack of diversity in drug testing highlights a significant gap in our understanding of medication effects across different demographics.
A staggering $528 billion was spent on non-optimized medication in 2016, exceeding the cost of drugs themselves or any of the major chronic diseases. The risk of adverse drug events increases with the number of medications prescribed—over 40 million patients currently take five or more daily. With the aging baby boomer population expected to double this number by 2040, immediate action is crucial to address this brewing crisis.
Despite advancements in precision medicine, pharmacogenomics testing remains underutilized. This genetic testing could significantly minimize avoidable medication harm by tailoring drug prescriptions based on an individual’s genetic profile, ensuring safer and more effective treatment strategies.
#adverse-drug-events #public-health-crisis #healthcare-inequity #medication-safety #pharmacogenomics
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