Tufts/NEMC study looks at relative risks of drugs

BETHESDA, Md. – A new study in the May/June issue of the journal Health Affairs offers a new way to gauge the risks of taking certain medications: by comparing it to the mortality risks posed by dangerous jobs, driving and sports.
The mortality risks posed by Vioxx to treat arthritis and Tysabri to treat multiple sclerosis –drugs that have recently received scrutiny — are comparable to or exceed the risk of dying in a car crash, working as a truck driver, or rock-climbing, the study says.
Even taking aspirin poses a fatality risk on par with that of driving a car or working as a firefighter, said coauthors Joshua Cohen and Peter Neumann of Tufts-New England Medical Center. But the benefits, they stressed, must also be taken into consideration. Some multiple sclerosis patients, for example, are willing to tolerate high risks to alleviate their symptoms.
The study is one of several looks at issues of risks and benefits in health care in a themed volume titled “The Shifting Benefit-Risk Landscape.” It is available at HealthAffairs.org.