CBC: "Who's mind the store of drug safety?" (in Canada, that is)

This article was written by Dr. Brian Goldman, an emergency room physician who is also an author and the host of a radio show on CBC Radio, called "White Coat, Black Art".

Here's an excerpt from this article, called "Who's minding the store of drug safety?":

"In Canada, doctors are responsible for the vast majority of prescriptions to patients.  As such, they are in the catbird seat in monitoring the safety of prescription drugs - especially new ones that have just arrived on pharmacy shelves.  If a patient has a horrendous side effect, there's a good chance the prescribing doctor will be one of the first to know.

The question is, do they tell authorities?  Right now, the answer is a resounding no.  The existing system of reporting deadly side effects is voluntary.  And right now, fewer than five per cent of adverse drug events are reported to Health Canada.  To make things safer for patients, that number has to come up dramatically."

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/whitecoat/blog/who-s-minding-the-store-of-drug-safety-1.3060237