title: Ethical issues in new drug prescribing.
abstract: We use the format of a hypothetical case study to review issues related to pharmaceutical product approval and physician prescribing practices. In this case, a new FDA-approved drug is recommended for a patient who subsequently experiences an adverse event that may or may not be related to the prescription. This case raises a number of ethical and legal considerations physicians routinely face when deciding whether to recommend such drugs for their patients. Despite the need for ongoing observation by the regulatory apparatus, physicians should be cognizant of the limitations of the drug approval system and the post-approval prescription drug surveillance system. We discuss physicians' ethical obligations when faced with a newly approved drug, including seeking out independent sources of learning, reporting adverse effects, and notifying patients about limitations in available knowledge about therapeutic recommendations.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Lindsay W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.forename: Jennifer C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Kesselheim
authors.forename: Aaron S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Kesselheim
mesh_terms: D016265:Conflict of Interest; D030881:Disclosure / Q000941:ethics*; D017277:Drug Approval; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000941:ethics*; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D007400:Interprofessional Relations / Q000941:ethics*; D056687:Off-Label Use / Q000941:ethics*; D058007:Physicians, Primary Care / Q000941:ethics*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000941:ethics*; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration
chemical_list: D055553:Prescription Drugs