medecines out of control?: Antidepressants and the conspiracy of goodwill - Tapa blanda

Medicines Out of Control focuses on a drug crisis that is still in the making: the control and consumption of mood-regulating drugs, such as Prozac and other antidepressants and a much wider problem: continuing human dependence on corporate and professional power. Medawar and Hardon describe the moments and events that led to the establishment of a government inquiry in The Netherlands on the risks of drug-induced dependence and suicidal behavior with antidepressants. The study provides context for the findings of this inquiry, and reviews the limitations of a drug safety system in which the regulators routinely investigate what others might conclude to be their mistakes. The authors explain the situation as "history repeating itself": from barbiturates to tranquilizers and now antidepressants. Medawar and Hardon expect that the unfolding of the antidepressant crisis will reveal the need for "a complete re-think about medicinal drug utilization and its adverse effects on health." They anticipate that this crisis may prove to be a watershed in drug control, as was thalidomide. This is a unique and penetrating discourse on the safety of medicines and the ethos of pharmaceutical medic

Charles Medawar is executive director of Social Audit. He is a specialist on medicine policy, drug safety issues and on matters of corporate, governmental, and professional accountability. He writes, broadcasts and lectures regularly. Anita Hardon is professor in Anthropology of Care and Health at the University of Amsterdam. She has published widely, specializing on women's health issues and studies of medicines' use in Asia, Africa and Europe. She currently chairs the Health Action International (Europe) foundation board.