Why Drug Safety Should Not Take a Back Seat to Efficacy

It is argued that methodological challenges in monitoring the safety of prescription medications should not mean that drug safety be considered less important a topic of study than efficacy. It is also highlighted the debates that continue about the best ways to meaningfully synthesize and interpret data on the possible harmful effects of drugs—for example, how passive surveillance systems (spontaneous reports of suspected adverse reactions) should be improved, whether new drugs should go through a phased launch process with enhanced safety evaluations, and how appropriate risk mitigation strategies are for drugs with safety concerns. URL:[http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/browseIssue.action].