Letter P

Pharmaco-epidemiology

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The study of the use of drugs in society.

The process of identifying and responding to safety issues about drugs.</P> Pharmaco-epidemiology has been called pharmaco-vigilance.

For example, the diabetes drug called Rezulin was found associated with a risk of liver damage.

The FDA and manufacturer sent 4 separate warning letters to doctors, asking them to watch out for the problem and order liver tests for their patients on Rezulin.

Less than half of patients got the recommended liver tests and, though liver monitoring was to be done monthly, only 5% of doctors were regularly testing the liver function of patients on the drug 5 months after the warnings.

<FONT color=red><B>Rezulin was withdrawn from the market in March of 2001 by the FDA.</B></FONT>

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