Adverse drug events (ADE)
ADEs are when a medication leads to a negative or harmful effect. ADEs are responsible for more than 1.5 million emergency room visits each year in the U.S..
Jun 18, 2026Menu
Shedding Light on the Risks
& Benefits of Medications
Shedding Light on the Risks
& Benefits of Medications Drug Safety
Off Label
refers to the unapproved use of an approved drug, often to manage conditions for which no specific or adequate treatment exists. This practice is legal and common in the US; the FDA states that a…
Jun 18, 2026Generic Drugs
A generic drug is a medication designed to match an approved brand-name drug in almost every way: dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, and intended use.
Jun 18, 2026Box warning
s, commonly referred to as “black box warnings,” are the strongest warnings issued by the FDA, indicating that a medication may cause serious or life-threatening adverse reactions.
Jun 18, 2026Biosimilar
A biosimilar is a biologic medicine that has been developed to closely match an existing FDA-approved biologic. Both biologics and biosimilars are products made from living cells, such as those derived from animals, plants, bacteria,…
Jun 18, 2026Pharmaceutical pollution
Drugs can get into our waterways through wastewater (in our urine) and improper disposal of unused drugs, causing pharmaceutical pollution. At trace amounts, pharmaceuticals have been detected in drinking water, which can cause harm to…
Jun 18, 2026Comorbidity
refers to the presence of one or more health conditions alongside a primary condition. For example, if someone has diabetes but also experiences high blood pressure and depression, the doctor treating the diabetes will consider…
Jun 18, 2026Polypharmacy
When someone is taking five or more medications on a regular basis, this is called polypharmacy. The United States has one of the highest rates of polypharmacy in the world, with as many as 65%…
Jun 18, 2026Pharmacovigilance
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), pharmacovigilance describes the science and efforts behind drug safety. This includes drug testing in clinical trials and the monitoring of side effects.
Jun 18, 2026Overprescribing
means prescribing a drug (or drugs) when it’s not clinically necessary. This can lead to increased side effects and public health issues. A 2018 study published by the Infectious Diseases Society of America found that…
Jun 18, 2026Drug Cascades
Also known as “prescribing cascades,” drug cascades occur when a medication is prescribed to treat the side effects of an original drug you are on.
Jun 18, 2026Disease Mongering
Sometimes referred to as “selling sickness,” disease mongering is when pharmaceutical companies (sometimes working with healthcare professionals and patient groups) overstate the severity of minor conditions, expand the definition of existing diseases or emphasize the…
Jun 18, 2026Deprescribing
is when a physician reduces a medication to the lowest effective dose, or discontinues it altogether. This typically occurs when a patient’s condition changes and the potential risks of the drug outweigh its expected benefits.
Jun 18, 2026Contraindication
When a drug or medical procedure could harm a patient, the advice not to use it is called a contraindication. There are two kinds of contraindications: Relative contraindication means that a certain treatment is generally…
Jun 18, 2026