Serious Drug Reactions Hit New Record High

Articles on October 22 and 23, 2008 from the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times respectively, reported on the findings in a paper from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. The report starts off on an ominous note by revealing that, "A record number of deaths and serious injuries associated with drug therapy were reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the first quarter of 2008.

The study noted that in the first three months of 2008 there were a total of 20,745 serious injuries and deaths associated with drug therapy. Of these 4824 resulted in death. According to the Institute for Safe Medication Practice, this represents nearly a threefold increase in deaths over the previous quarter and a 38% increase in injuries from the previous year's quarterly average.

Ironically, the anti smoking drug Chantix (varenicline) accounted for the highest number of serious injuries, with heparin coming in second. Other drugs that made the list of the top ten include, Fentanyl, Interferon Beta, Inflixmab, Etanercept, Clopidogrel, Pregabalin, Acetaminophen, and Oxycodone.

Thomas J. Moore, a senior scientist with the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), stated, "Knowing which drugs are causing injuries and how many people are being hurt is the raw material we need to fashion sound measures to promote patient safety."

The ISMP clearly noted the intent of the report by stating, "These findings come from a program being developed by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) to improve patient safety through increasing our understanding of how and why drug-related injuries and medication errors occur. The results come from analyzing new adverse drug events reports submitted to the FDA."

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