Theinverse benefit law states that the ratio of benefits to harms among patients taking newdrugs tends to vary inversely with how extensively a drug ismarketed. Two Americans, Howard Brody and Donald Light, have defined the inverse benefit law, inspired byTudor Hart'sinverse care law.[1]
A drugeffective for a seriousdisorder is less and less effective as it is promoted for milder cases and for other conditions for which the drug was not approved. Althougheffectiveness becomes more diluted, the risks of harmfulside effects persist, and thus the benefit-harm ratio worsens as a drug ismarketed more widely. The inverse benefit law highlights the need forcomparative effectiveness research and other reforms to improveevidence-based prescribing.[1]
The law is manifested through 6 basic marketing strategies:
This is the reason why organizations like "Worst Pill, Best Pill"[2] recommend not to use/prescribe new medications before being in the market for at least ten years (except in the case of important new drugs that treat previously unsolved problems).
Agencies of drugs, committee of ethics and organizations of patients' safety should consider: