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`Since the early '90s, Canadians have had grossly inferior safety warnings' continued from p.1 For Young, seeing this government action come to pass represents a deeply personal victory. "On March 19, 2000, my 15-year-old daughter, Vanessa Young, died of heart arrhythmia after suffering from an adverse reaction to a blockbuster drug ...," he said. "Investigating Vanessa's death, I was shocked to discover that all drugs cause adverse reactions; the only difference between a pharmaceutical drug and a poison is the dose." Young said prescription drugs, used as prescribed, are the fourth leading cause of death in Canada with 10,000 deaths and 100,000 serious injuries per year. He said the great tragedy in these figures is that 70 per cent of these deaths are preventable. One of the reasons for these deaths, Young believes, is that Canada has inferior safety warnings on its prescription drugs. In the U.S., the government forces drug companies to include a special `black box' warning on a drug's label listing possible side effects, drugs that should not be taken in combination and other valuable information. Doctors can easily see this warning and make a more informed decision about whether it is safe to prescribe someone a particular drug, said Young. This black box warning is also handed out to the patient when they get their prescription. Young said Canada does not force drug companies to issue these warnings. "Since the early '90s, Canadians have had grossly inferior safety warnings," Young believes. "This is going to change all that. This is a generational change. When patients get their prescription, they are going to have it in plain language in their hands, the rare but serious adverse affects that drugs cause." Young said this initiative is going to empower patients and noted it is hard to overstate how important this change is, comparing it to the addition of seatbelts for vehicles. The road to this initiative was not an easy one with Young stating he never envisioned it would take 13 years to bring about these significant changes. He said the pharmaceutical industry fought him every step of the way while the Canadian Medical Association and the Ontario Medical Association offered little assistance. When the Beaver contacted the Ontario Medical Association for comment about the initiative, it was deferred to the Canadian Medical Association (CMA). Calls to the CMA were not returned by Beaver press deadline. Young said he had no shortage of reasons to continue to push forward, relaying the story of an 18-year-old woman who, in October of 2010, was prescribed a birth control pill she believed was safe. "She wasn't given any warning about blood clots. No woman should be given a birth control pill without a warning about blood clots, which can be deadly. It was in the fine print of the handout from the pharmacy and she didn't see it," said Young. "She was at university and told her parents she had a pain in her calf... a couple days later, she had a pain in her chest. That was a deadly blood clot that turned into a pulmonary emboli in her chest. That is a three alarm fire if you are on a birth control pill, but because she had no warning she didn't know." Not long after she reported this discomfort, Young said, the woman was found dead in a stairwell at her school. Young said these types of sad stories are preventable. He is hopeful that with the Plain Language Labelling Initiative, and the better warnings, it will reduce the number of tragedies. "Good drug labels will save lives and prevent injuries," he said. "It's pretty exciting for me that the government is acting on this." Young expects it will take months for the initiative to be fully implemented. In the meantime, he said Canadians can learn more about the drugs they take by visiting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website www.fda.gov or www.dailymed.com. 3 | Wednesday, August 28, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com 300 yard Range 1 acre grass tee deck 35 True Strike mats 80 yard short game area Bent grass pracce green Club Fing Centre 4105 Hwy 25 Oakville, ON (855) Tee-Zone (905) 864-9660 Teezonegolf.com information@teezonegolf.com Club Re-gripping PGA of Canada Golf Academy Proshop OUTDOOR LIVING VISIT OUR 15,000 SQ. FT. SHOWROOM END OF SUMMER BLOWOUT SALE UP TO 50%OFF Thank you Oakville for nominating us under the categories of Best Investment Company and Best Financial Planner · QUALITY · STYLE · SELECTION FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED FOR OVER 25 YEARS Patio Furniture · Gazebos · Awnings · Patio Umbrellas · Bedroom Dining · Bar Stools · Office Chairs · Sofas · Home Theatre Seating DESTINATION FURNITURE OPEN EVERY DAY! Peter Watson MBA, CFP, R.F.P., CIM, FCSI Certified Financial Planner SINCE 1991 584 Kerr Street @ Speers, Oakville 905.337.3653 www.destinationfurniture.ca 220 Randall Street · Downtown Oakville Phone: 905.842.2100 www.peterwatsoninvestments.com