title: The discovery of drug-induced illness.
abstract: The increased use of drugs (and the concurrent increased risks of drug-induced illness) require definition of relevant research areas and strategy. For established marketed drugs, research needs depend on the magnitudes of risk of an illness from a drug and the base-line risk. With the drug risk high and the base-line risk low, the problem surfaces in premarketing studies or through the epidemic that develops after marketing. If the drug adds slightly to a high base-line risk, the effect is undetectable. When both risks are low, adverse effects can be discovered by chance, but systematic case-referent studies can speed discovery. If both risks are high, clinical trials and nonexperimental studies may be used. With both risks intermediate, systematic evaluations, especially case-referent studies are needed. Newly marketed drugs should be routinely evaluated through compulsory registration and follow-up study of the earliest users.
mesh_terms: D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D011247:Pregnancy; D012107:Research Design; D012306:Risk; D014481:United States