A Painful Mistake

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In addition, most drug companies carefully select study participants to exclude people who have more than one disease. That makes good scientific sense, but it's not very reflective of the real world, where someone might suffer from arthritis and heart disease and stomach problems all at once. Figuring out which drugs truly are safe and effective — and under what circumstances — is bound to become more complex as the population ages and more medications are developed for chronic conditions. Vioxx may be the biggest withdrawal of a drug in years, but it won't be the last.