When Pfizer followed Merck & co in withdrawing one of their COX-2 inhibitors from the market owing to increased risks of cardiovascular complications, it provided a timely reminder that medicines are not without their risks. We have known about the potential harm associated with medicines for centuries. Almost 500 years ago Paracelsus wrote: Dosis facit venenum (the dose makes the poison) in other words, the higher the dose of any particular chemical, the greater its toxic effect on living organisms. Beneficial medicines can turn poisonous if you take too much low-dose aspirin can reduce heart disease but higher doses can kill.
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