Society today normally considers that something is better, just because it is newer. This is true for many consumer products such as motor vehicles, cellular telephones, computers, televisions, etc.We immediately think that newer means high performance, improvement, a step above. But is this always true? More specifically, does this apply to healthcare? Granted, many new drugs and devices are approved every year but this does not mean that newer is always better and worth the extra cost. Research shows that, in some cases, existing drugs and devices can be as good if not better, safer, and cheaper than completely new ones. It follows that ‘new’ can have several meanings. When we come to healthcare, assuming that ‘new’ is always better can be very costly. Reconsidering or repurposing old drugs could be an interesting opportunity—let’s hope!
Reincarnated medicines: using out-dated drugs for novel indications
FERRARI, Roberto;
2016
Abstract
Society today normally considers that something is better, just because it is newer. This is true for many consumer products such as motor vehicles, cellular telephones, computers, televisions, etc.We immediately think that newer means high performance, improvement, a step above. But is this always true? More specifically, does this apply to healthcare? Granted, many new drugs and devices are approved every year but this does not mean that newer is always better and worth the extra cost. Research shows that, in some cases, existing drugs and devices can be as good if not better, safer, and cheaper than completely new ones. It follows that ‘new’ can have several meanings. When we come to healthcare, assuming that ‘new’ is always better can be very costly. Reconsidering or repurposing old drugs could be an interesting opportunity—let’s hope!I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
