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Beyond debacle and debate: developing solutions in drug safety

Abstract

In the 5 years since the Vioxx debacle, efforts have been made to enhance drug safety. These include the introduction of legislation that expands the power of drug regulatory agencies, new data transparency standards and increased requirements for funding of post-marketing drug surveillance. Nevertheless, some doubt remains that these changes will be sufficient to address the increasing challenges in the field of drug safety. Here, from the perspective of a drug researcher, I discuss key areas for further development that could deliver long-term solutions to these challenges: enhanced tools for the detection of safety signals, innovative phased drug launches, new risk stratification techniques and improved pharmacovigilance operations.

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Figure 1: Towards an enhanced model for drug safety.

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A.R. is an employee of Bristol–Myers Squibb.

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FURTHER INFORMATION

Evaluation of Genomic Applications in Practice and Prevention

Drug-induced liver toxicity

FDA Guidance for Industry: Diabetes mellitus — evaluating cardiovascular risk in new antidiabetic therapies to treat type 2 diabetes

FDA's Sentinel Initiative

Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007

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Ray, A. Beyond debacle and debate: developing solutions in drug safety. Nat Rev Drug Discov 8, 775–779 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd2988

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