Re the Dec. 1 article "Antipsychotic drugs raise wider concerns for elderly": The new report from researchers at Harvard Medical School showing that newer anti-psychotic drugs are no more dangerous for seniors than older ones -- and may actually be safer -- illustrates the complexities of assessing the risks of medications.
The take-home lesson here is that new drugs do indeed have some risks, but older medications may have similar dangers, which we have accepted over time as part of our general benefit-risk evaluation. Old and new drugs should be held to the same standards of safety. Like everything else in life, medications have risks, which we accept in order to derive their benefits.
GILBERT ROSS
Medical Director
American Council on Science and Health
New York City