New Drugs, Part 1

I received a letter today from the director of a medical support organization that provides information and more to people with a particular disease. The disease is called Von Hippel-Lindau Disease, or VHL. This person was advocating a search for a drug that would (she hoped) help prevent the inception of the disease in children within 10 years. This was my response:

Hello,

I'm glad your son is doing well. I'm disturbed, however, by your confidence in a new drug.

My own experience with new drugs has been terrible. The FDA releases new drugs in much less time than it did in the past, and as a result, all kinds of side effects have occured.

I've been taking an over-the-counter (OTC) pain medication (ketoprofin, related to ibuprofin) for migraines for the last 12 years that was released after only 6 years of testing. Now this drug has been taken off the shelves all over the world. It causes kidney damage.

If more time had been available for study before release, this problem would have been found, and I wouldn't be worrying about my kidneys. Personally, I hope for DNA research to lead to the ability to alter DNA--like turning off a switch--and stop genetic diseases and disorders from occurring. I'm certain that's farther than new drugs, but I'd rather not experience any new problems with my health due to a new drug.

Thanks for listening.