When it comes to pills, newer is not always better, though according to a recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the majority of Americans still think so.
In a national survey of 3,000 adults, doctors from the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice conjured up two fictional drugs for heartburn and asked participants which they would choose. They were told that both treatments were free and equally effective, except that one was approved by the FDA in 2009, while the other was approved in 2001. Only 34 percent of adults chose the older drug; however, when they were provided with an additional warning that the newer drug may have rare but serious side effects, 53 percent of the participants opted for the older drug instead.
In a linked commentary to the study, Dr. Michael Steinman of the San Francisco VA Medical Center explains that doctors tend to prescribe newer, more expensive drugs because they think they re better, but many times it s not true, he says.
ACSH's Dr. Josh Bloom notes, however, that while many newer drugs do have significant advantages over older ones, occasionally an unexpected problem will emerge after large numbers of people start taking it. A clinical trial with 2,000 patients will not pick up a side effect that is seen in one in 20,000 patients. So, as in most decisions, it is a matter of risk versus benefit. Taking a new drug for a previously untreatable condition is an easy decision, but taking something new that offers marginal improvement over existing therapies requires more thought.
