The MCA and the manufacturers say that in each case, so far, there has been a separate underlying cause, such as lung disease caused by cigarettes or, in the case of the air stewardess who died, the combination of Zyban and anti-malarial drugs. Deaths are pretty well always reported, but not so some of the other side-effects of medicines. In fact, there are major problems with the safety net. The Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin, a respected journal sent to all doctors, recently did a survey which found that a quarter of information sheets on new drugs sent to doctors by manufacturers did not carry the black triangle symbol. It also found that the information about the sort of side-effects on the liver that certain powerful drugs could cause was inadequate.
Doctors are busy.
If Mrs Robinson arrives with a headache, they aren't going to fill in a yellow card if they don't see a black triangle, unless they happen to know the drug she is on is only 18 months old. The Bulletin thinks that patients could be put at risk and wants the MCA to act. But there are other, longstanding weaknesses. Doctors don't have to fill in a yellow form. It is voluntary.