May 9, 2003 – Canadian dailies are not a reliable source of information about the effects and dangers of new drugs, say researchers at the University of British Columbia in Victoria.
These researchers studied 193 articles published in 2000 in the 24 Canadian dailies with the highest circulation. These articles focused on prescription drugs that were new to the market, such as celebrex, lipitor, evista, tamiflu and aricept.
Over two-thirds of these articles made no mention of the side effects associated with these drugs and when mentioned, it was usually found at the bottom of the article. In addition, only 25% of the articles precisely quantified the risks and benefits associated with these drugs. As for possible contraindications, they were only mentioned in 4% of cases.
The researchers conclude that such incomplete information can lead to excessive or incorrect use of drugs, and readers should therefore exercise caution when reading such articles.
Finally, while their study focused exclusively on print media, the researchers said they believe a similar situation likely exists in electronic media.
Jean-Benoit Legault – PasseportSanté.net
According to sky.com and CNN, May 8, 2003.
