In the world of pharmaceutical companies and drug regulatory agencies, people often talk about "a drug's life cycle".They refer to its "international birth date" and the "family" it belongs to, they attribute "paternity" to a particular inventor (although the drug is sometimes an "orphan",..), and they follow its "development" intently.They are proud when "it has demonstrated its efficacy. They are thrilled when "it obtains" marketing authorisation (MA), as if this were a qualification bestowed by a sympathetic or unsupportive panel of examiners. As time goes by, the drug may be suspected of being "responsible" tor a particular adverse effect, so studies are requested, again and again, to make sure that an innocent drug is not wrongfully blamed. And finally they mourn its "death". The poor drug, once so "promising", becomes another victim of a heartless, merciless pharmacovigilance system...
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