Medicines....not always for health

Pharmaceuticals are usually the second highest expenditure in health service budgets. The right drug at the right time in the right dose and formulation can save lives. Unfortunately too often pharmaceuticals actually add to the burden of disease. This may be because of patient or prescriber error but too often it is a direct result of policy failures. Who regulates the drug trials and who monitors the marketing of pharmaceuticals? How is the line drawn between what is a natural substance freely available and what is a drug given for a particular condition. The power of the pharmaceutical companies is great and very long lasting. Informed health professional exercising judgements on behalf of their patients and communities can make a significant contribution to reducing pharmaceutical related ill health.