Health Affairs, 26, no. 3 (2007): 636-646 doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.26.3.636 © 2007 by Project HOPE	New Online   Obama's Success & Next Steps   3 Health Policy Options for President Obama   A Hybrid Proposal   Bipartisan Compromise

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Risks & Benefits

What’s More Dangerous, Your Aspirin Or Your Car? Thinking Rationally About Drug Risks (And Benefits)

We compare mortality risks of several common drugs with risks related to work, transportation, and recreation. Comparing risks can provide a more intuitive sense of the magnitude of drug risks than stand-alone estimates can, to help inform policy discussions. The drug risks we quantify generally exceed the magnitude of risks for other domains (although aspirin and cars are similarly "risky" under the definition of risk used here). Nonetheless, these comparisons underscore a crucial point: that risks should not be evaluated without considering attendant benefits. We discuss the need for the Food and Drug Administration to compare risks and benefits quantitatively, consistently, and explicitly.

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