E-DRUG: Database of ADRs in Canada posted by public broadcaster
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Hello,
Together with the airing of a television documentary on drug safety last
week,"Faint Warning", CBC Television's news programme 'Disclosures" has
posted
the Canadian database of voluntary adverse drug reaction reports, spanning
the
period from 1965, when the voluntary adverse drug reaction reporting system
was set up, to September 2003.
CBC television had spent 5 years trying to obtain the full database of
adverse
drug reaction reports through a series of freedom of information requests.
They have now posted it in a searchable format, for all to use. It is
accompanied by the full caveats that accompanies information sent out by
Health Canada or other health authorities: that these are suspected ADRs,
causality cannot be assumed, etc. Additionally, information that might pose
a
risk to privacy, such as date of birth and location of residence, has been
removed.
The database is at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/adr/database/
Many people on e-drug will have heard the estimates that only around 1% to
10%
of adverse drug reactions are reported. In some cases, at least in Canada,
these appear to be massive overestimates. One example: I searched for the
reports on diethylstilbestrol. There were precisely 16. An estimated 200,000
to 400,000 women were exposed in pregnancy in Canada from 1941-1971.
Although
vaginal adenocarcinoma in DES daughters (women exposed prenatally) is
relatively rare, estimated at 1 in 1000, malformations of the reproductive
organs, infertility and pregnancy problems are common.
The programme 'Faint Warning" is also posted on the web, at:
http://www.cbc.ca/disclosure/archives/040217_adr/main.html
Barbara Mintzes
Centre for Health Services & Policy Research
University of British Columbia
Vancouver B.C. Canada
bmintzes@chspr.ubc.ca
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