The above headline comes from the March 13, 2005 USA Today. The
article starts by noting that in 2004 preliminary reports show
that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received roughly
422,500 adverse-event reports from pharmaceutical companies,
health professionals and patients, up nearly 14% from the
370,887 reports filed in 2003. The article noted that the FDA
requires drug companies to report adverse drug reactions or
events when they are made aware of them. However, doctors,
nurses and patients also file reports, but their reports are
voluntary. The result is that the number posted by the FDA only
represents a portion of the actual drug adverse effects that
occur in each year. Paul Seligman, director of the FDA's Office
of Pharmacoepidemiology and Statistical Sciences suggests that
the increase may not be due completely to an increase of adverse
reactions, but also due to an increase in usage of drugs in
general. He suggested, "There are more drugs on the market and
more use of pharmaceuticals in