Myth: if a drug makes it to market, it's safe for everyone

Version imprimable

One of the series of Mythbusters information sheets that examines drug safety issues. Discusses the safety of pharmaceutical drugs after they have been approved and how drug approval does not necessarily mean a drug is fully tested or that it's effects are fully understood. Points to the need for consumers to thoroughly understand the potential benefits and harms of any drug so that they make make informed decisions about drugs they may take. Approves of the establishment of the federally-funded Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network, which will fund research on the safety and effectiveness of drugs in the “real world”.

Mythbusters is a series of two-page articles that summarize the best available evidence to challenge widely held beliefs about issues in Canadian healthcare.