ABSTRACT
Certainly when the side effects appear, the headlines are justified, and strong measures may also be, but the other reactions often are not. The fact is that drugs are tested, invariably. The investigator who has observed some beneficial results on a few patients has a dilemma: should the results be announced, or should experiments continue until they are conclusive? If results are announced too soon, many people may gamble their lives on the drug before it is found to be worthless or even harmful. On the other hand, if investigation continues for another year or so and the drug is found to be beneficial, some people who might have been saved by the drug may die in the meantime. Some of the same reporters and editors who complain that a drug should have been more thoroughly tested will also complain when they hear that a possible cancer cure has been kept off the market for more experimentation.
