Adverse drug events and the Freedom of Information Act: an apple in Eden.
OBJECTIVE
To review some of the abuses and proper uses of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) spontaneous adverse-reaction reporting system, as a way of educating the reader to its strengths and limitations.


METHODS
Published literature and reports based on information obtained from the FDA's database of spontaneous adverse drug-event reports.


RESULTS
The Freedom of Information Act has increased public access to the FDA's database of spontaneous adverse drug reaction reports. As these reports are voluntarily received and reported to the FDA, their use for comparisons of drug safety is severely limited. Despite these limitations and the FDA's caveats for use of these data, consumer advocacy groups, researchers, and various pharmaceutical marketing groups have used this source to project the incidence of adverse drug reactions.


CONCLUSIONS
The FDA's spontaneous adverse-event reporting system is designed to generate signals of unexpected adverse drug events. Use of the data gathered by this system to make drug safety comparisons is beyond their credible scope because many factors influence the reporting of adverse events. Researchers and peer reviewers should place these data in the proper perspective and support sound research into questions of drug safety.
Stang
P E
PE
Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599.
Fox
J L
JL
D016907:Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002961:Civil Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003254:Consumer Advocacy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration