Understanding Medication Risks and Benefits

A new national survey of nearly 3,000 people reveals that many Americans have an unrealistic understanding of the FDA drug approval process. Approximately 4 out of 10 mistakenly believe that the agency approves only highly effective medications. Another 25 percent wrongly assume that only drugs without serious side effects are allowed on the market.
When given the opportunity to choose between two hypothetical heart drugs, half the volunteers selected a drug that just lowered cholesterol over a medication that actually reduced the risk of having a heart attack. The authors did find that simple explanations can help consumers make more informed decisions about medications and that the FDA should improve its communication about how well drugs work.
[Archives of Internal Medicine, Sept. 12, 2011]