Feinberg
Northwestern Medicine | Northwestern University | Faculty Profiles

News Center

  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Releases
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Releases
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Home » Study Finds Unreported Drug Reactions
Uncategorized

Study Finds Unreported Drug Reactions

By medwebMay 1, 2005
Share
Facebook Twitter Email

Study Finds Unreported Drug Reactions

CHICAGO—A monitoring program developed by a Northwestern University researcher has successfully identified a large number of previously unknown, serious, and often fatal drug reactions associated with 15 commonly used drugs and devices, including Plavix®, thalidomide, and drug-coated cardiac stents.

As described in an article in the May 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Research on Adverse Drug Events and Reports (RADAR) Project compiles information from reports submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s database and reports by drug companies and independent researchers throughout the world. RADAR is funded entirely by government grants.

RADAR has proved to be a powerful new instrument that supplements existing FDA surveillance systems and has helped save hundreds to thousands of patient lives, said lead author Charles L. Bennett, MD, PhD, who directs the adverse drug reaction surveillance program.

Dr. Bennett is professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and a researcher at The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, as well as a physician at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center and associate director of the VA Mid-West Center for Health Services Research and Policy Studies.

RADAR reviews have been published in leading medical journals. Summaries of the reviews have appeared in the media and in “dear doctor” product warnings and labeling changes sent by pharmaceutical companies.

Between 1998 and 2004, Dr. Bennett and a multidisciplinary group of RADAR investigators identified serious adverse drug reactions with 14 commonly prescribed drugs, and with cardiac stents, that affected almost 1,700 patients, 170 of whom died as a result of the reaction. The drugs and devices are commonly used, with more than 1 million individuals having been prescribed two of the drugs.

Adverse drug reactions were classified as resulting in death, causing severe organ failure, or requiring major therapeutic interventions, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, liver transplantation, or placing an individual on a respirator. One particularly severe drug reaction with a novel cancer drug was associated with 67 deaths.

Adverse drug and device reactions account for as many as 100,000 deaths annually. In general, more than half of the most serious adverse drug reactions have been discovered seven or more years after a drug has been marketed.

The recent withdrawal of Vioxx has led to calls for new and independent postmarketing surveillance programs such as RADAR.

This study was supported by grants 1RO1CA 102713-01 and P30 CA60533 from the National Cancer Institute; HL 69717-01A1 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; TPRH 98-269-01 from the American Cancer Society; and RCD02-176 from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

(Reprinted from the Northwestern University News Center.)

Share. Facebook Twitter Email

Related Posts

Lurie Cancer Center Receives Merit Extension from NCI

Oct 20, 2021

Drug Combination May Reduce Risk of Leukemia Relapse

Mar 26, 2020

Rewriting the Role of a Transcription Factor

Mar 19, 2020

Comments are closed.

Latest News

Sex-Specific Mechanisms for Major Depressive Disorder Identified in Response to Dysregulated Stress Hormones

Mar 23, 2023

Pre-Surgery Immunotherapy May Increase Survival in Advanced Melanoma

Mar 23, 2023

Hormone Therapy Plus Current Treatments Improves Survival in Prostate Cancer

Mar 22, 2023

How ChatGPT Has, and Will Continue to, Transform Scientific Research

Mar 21, 2023

New Directions for HIV Treatment

Mar 21, 2023
  • News Center Home
  • Categories
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
  • News Archives
  • About Us
Flickr Photos
20230317_NM651
20230317_NM610
20230317_NM569
20230317_NM537
20230317_NM331
20230317_NM323
20230317_NM316
20230317_NM336
20230317_NM626
20230317_NM662
20230317_NM655
20230317_NM642

Northwestern University logo

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr YouTube Instagram
Copyright © 2023 Northwestern University
  • Contact Northwestern University
  • Disclaimer
  • Campus Emergency Information
  • Policy Statements

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.