For various reasons, a large number of drugs, devoid of any demonstrated efficacy in humans, continue to receive marketing authorization,” laments Professor Jean-Paul Giroud. Also for the pharmacologist, 50% of treatments delivered without a prescription would be ineffective ; this percentage is even higher (65%) for self-service medicines. “If the product is well tolerated, continues the professor, the fact that it is not effective does not really pose a problem, it may even have a placebo effect. Unfortunately, these pharmaceutical specialties often have contraindications and adverse effects. The question then arises of the risk/benefit balance: is it justified to take a drug with adverse effects and contraindications for almost zero efficacy? And to cite the example of decongestant drugs used in the event of a cold: some have about fifteen contraindications for a pathology which, drug or not, heals spontaneously in eight days. Ditto for constipation: laxatives, especially irritating ones, are not devoid of undesirable effects, while a change in lifestyle often makes it possible to overcome this disorder.
