| Along with the development of modern medicine are the rapid development of pharmaceutical industry and the day-by-day increase of medicinal varieties. However, the untoward side effects are also increasing, and many peoples have suffered from these side effects. Anyu’s question is: what has been brought to us by the development of modern medicine, happy or puzzling? |
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| Reviewing the situation of development of modern medical science as a whole, mankind has just exactly controlled a few infectious diseases such as variola up to now. Complete cure of other diseases, especially those so called “mankind killers”, including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes, are just a kind of extravagant hope. Many patients have to bear the illness in their remainder years. More and more patients have been suffering from chronic diseases, they are not able to be cured but have to endure hardship till death.. Despite the unsolved old problems, new troubles are further emerging in an endless stream. AIDS evil has broken out in its full play; the extent affected and the degree of damage are far beyond expert’s expectation. Zhu Shi Ne, a famous expert of combing traditional Chinese and western medicine, pointed out: “Although modern medical science has made every effort to treat various diseases by means of unceasingly developing new medicines to replace former ones, but the process of chemical purification and synthesis has become more and more difficult. In addition, some disadvantages, such as functional unicity and untoward side effect, have been found in quite a lot of clinically used medicines, and these, therefore, have to be annulled and withdrawn. Toxic side effects and drug-originated diseases have become the difficult problems in modern medical science. Antibiotics, chemical treatment, and even the principle of specific treatment have to face the awkward position due to the enhanced drug tolerance in microorganism and the emergence of new viruses.” |
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Let’s look at such a series of horrifying numbers: As reported by Health Journal, “Merck & Co. Inc. decided the worldwide withdrawal of Vioxx (rofecoxib), which had once been praised as the elite in anti-arthritis drugs, because the drug increased the risk probability of heart attack and apoplexy. Merck & Co. Inc. is known as the second pharmaceutical factory in the United States and has been listed in “the most honorable companies” continuously for seven years in Fortune Journal. American FDA announced that the risk of myocardial infarction and cardiac sudden death in patients taking big dosage of Vioxx increases by 3 times as compared with those not taking Vioxx. It is known that the prescribed amount of this drug has been more than 84 million tablets all over the world since it appeared on the market. In addition, as shown by experiments, taking Vioxx longer than 18 months could increase by one time the risk of heart attack and apoplexy. The share price of Merck suddenly dropped at the right day of announcement. As estimated by the New England Journal of Medicine, before the withdrawal of Vioxx, approximately 20 million Americans had taken this drug, and about 10 thousand of which might have suffered from the untoward side effect. The lack of new drug and the expiration of patents not only are the difficult problems of Merck, but also are that of nearly all the large pharmaceutical factories”. |
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