The Risks of Prescription Drugs

Calling on a diverse range of experts, this book tackles critical questions about the pharmaceutical industry and the privatization of risk. To what extent does the FDA protect the public from serious side effects and possible disasters? What is the impact of giving greater roles to the private sector and markets and reducing public oversight? This volume considers whether current rules and incentives put patients at greater risk; the effect of the expansion of disease categories; the industry's justification of high U. S. prices and the financial risk they must bear; and the underlying shifts in the burdens of risks borne by individuals in the world of pharmaceuticals.