Limitations of drug safety and efficacy in Canada revealed in new Health Council report

A commissioned discussion paper released this week by the Health Council of Canada, titled Keeping an Eye on Prescription Drugs, Keeping Canadians Safe, underscores the many limitations as to how drug safety and effectiveness is monitored and reported in Canada.

Some prescription drugs approved for use in Canada may be less safe than consumers think, warns the report. "People often think that since a drug has been approved by Health Canada, it is safe," said John Abbott, chief executive of the council.

The problems, according to Mr Abbott, come after the clinical trial wraps and the drugs are widely consumed. He cites the example of Vioxx (rofecoxib), a once popular COX-2 inhibitor pain reliever sold by Merck & Co, but pulled off the market in 2004 for safety concerns after 16 million prescriptions had been written. The Council’s report suggests there is not enough monitoring of drugs after they reach the market in Canada.