The Legal Hazards of Weighing Risks and Benefits (24 Jan 05)

In the January 24 New Yorker James Surowiecki gives an excellent analysis of the problems facing drug companies (see http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/?050124ta_talk_surowiecki for the whole story). The short take: although we all balance risks and benefits (driving 65 mph instead of 55) many times every day, we don't know the exact numbers. Drug companies have to measure the numbers. That sets them up for a lawsuit when a drug falls from grace. As a society, we have to decide that knowing the numbers is a good thing, and not grounds for financial disaster.

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