Researcher says some drugs "poison" the elderly. Indeed, he thinks we know too little about proper dosages or how they interact with each other.
Sir Munir Pirmohamed, professor of pharmacology at the University of Liverpool, spoke recently to the English House of Lords. According to this expert, it is increasingly urgent to review the regulations in force on the establishment of clinical trials aimed at testing our drugs.
The people most affected are the elderly, who can be prescribed up to twenty drugs. The problem, he says, is that the vast majority of trials are in younger people.
“These drugs have been tested at conventional doses in younger populations without multiple diseases " , did he declare. However, they are not the ones who consume them. And as we age, our body degrades and does not behave in the same way. Kidney function is notably much less efficient.
The researcher also points out that some drug interactions can lead to significant side effects that older people are not able to cope with. Researchers test each drug individually and never in combination with other substances.
“6.5% of all patients entering hospitals are admitted due to adverse drug reactions “, he explains. "If you look at the age profile of those who develop reactions, it's mostly older people taking multiple treatments “.
As the world's population will continue to age, the health problems faced by older people will increase.
Therefore, the researcher is asking that we review the regulations for setting up clinical trials. Researchers exclude people over 65 from these trials because of the risk of morbidity. However, the researcher believes that these risks should be taken.
“In the real world, people with heart failure have a common age of 85. But in clinical trials, the average age is 65 and this discrepancy is extremely common, regardless of the disease considered e,” he explains. “The evidence we get from clinical trials is actually not fit for our purpose in many cases “.
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