ABSTRACT
In 1985 the U.S. Public Health Service Task Force Report on Women’s Health Issues documented that women were disadvantaged in health care and research (Hamilton 1992a,b). As one example of bias in research, there had been a preference, historically, for using males as study subjects. In view of such problems, the newly reemerging field of women’s health (Zimmerman 1987) has sought to achieve equity in health care research and clinical practice for both sexes. Since pharmacotherapy is a critical treatment modality in modern medicine, it is important to ensure its efficacy and safety in demographically diverse populations. Women use drugs at least as often as men (Moeller and Mathiowetz 1989), and some studies suggest an excess of prescription drug use by women (Rossiter 1983), especially in older populations (Braude 1986).
