PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Prescription drugs help people manage such medical conditions as severe depression, high blood pressure, asthma, arthritis, and diabetes. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, adults spend nearly $73 billion per year on prescription drugs. Pharmaceutical companies have increased demand for their products by advertising to patients and marketing to the physicians who prescribe drugs practices that critics condemn. The more prescription drugs a person takes, the more likely the drugs will interact in ways that are harmful. Errors in prescribing are another hazard, and even legitimate prescription drugs have recently been subject to recalls due to contamination. Are prescription drugs getting to the people who need them most? Are they being overprescribed and overused? Are prices too high? Prescription Drugs introduces readers to the controversies associated with popular prescription drugs and shows how Americans have attempted to balance the goals of access and safety.