title: [Why do good drugs disappear?].
abstract: Old drugs, with proved efficacy and safety, are disappearing from the market. For instance, nitrofurantoin, an inexpensive effective agent for urinary tract infections with low incidence of bacterial resistance in comparison to other antibiotics, is becoming unavailable. Alpha-methyldopa and hydraLazine, drugs of choice for pregnancy hypertension, are no longer available. Chlorthalidone, a Long acting thiazide with best evidence on efficacy, is no Longer marketed in Israel. Switching to newer agents increases costs and is often associated with relative uncertainty about safety and efficacy. The reason for the disappearance of old drugs is a combination of market failures and failures in production and regulatory processes. System revisions are needed to allow continued availability of old, safe and effective drugs.
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical Quality & Safety, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel. brezis@vms.huji.ac.il
authors.forename: Mayer
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brezis
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tomer
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Klang
authors.forename: Ariel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hammerman
mesh_terms: D015195:Drug Design; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D057051:Product Recalls and Withdrawals
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations