How could it happen that an FDA-approved drug, taken by a man to control his minor heart problem, rendered him blind? This week’s cover story explores not only a gripping medical case, but the broader issues surrounding it–issues that every person taking prescription drugs will find relevant.
Reporter Lee Scheier’s varied background includes stints as a playwright and a stock options trader. He launched his midlife journalism career under the tutelage of Magazine deputy editor Jeff Lyon, who moonlights as a teacher of science writing and feature writing at Columbia College in Chicago. Jeff, himself a distinguished science writer who was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1987 for a Tribune series on the then-infant field of gene therapy, recognized Lee’s ability to interpret scientific matters in a sophisticated way. Jeff said he was intrigued by this story “of how a doctor, not knowing a drug’s insidious potential, prescribed it and caused a vigorous, productive man to descend into perpetual darkness, all needlessly.”
At issue, here, of course, is not just one man’s battle against a pharmaceutical behemoth, but also the questions raised about social responsibility and how corporate America can put profits above the public’s well-being.
“People need to be more proactive in finding out all the risks of a prescribed drug, and demand their physicians tell them about side effects–even if they’re rare–so they can make an informed decision,” explains Lee. “Many doctors feel that if they communicate all the serious risks to a patient, they’ll never want to take any drug. I don’t think this is a valid reason to keep those risks from patients.
“The companies, in their defense, will say a dire side effect is a rare event, but when you’re the one it’s happened to, it’s different.”