Question: if you made a drug that was tested and proven to be safe however, as we as people developed the drug become harmful how quickly would the drug be taken off the market and would you get sewed for this or would it be classed as an evolutionary problem?

David Foley answered on 11 Nov 2014:

Human evolution is very slow – it takes generations and for us a generation is around 70 years. Therefore, it is impossible for a drug to suddenly become harmful due to evolution as you suggest.

What does happen is that when a drug is deemed safe and made available – it suddenly turns from being administered to a few thousand people in carefully controlled trials; to many people with various backgrounds, illness, medications, age, sex etc. etc. Sometimes, we then see rare side-effects that were not detected in the testing phase.

A drug is continually reviewed by international bodies and if the evidence shifts towards the drug becoming more harmful than beneficial. it will quickly be pulled from the market.

Unless evidence of scientific misconduct, like what happened with the drug called Vioxx, is found, companies would not be sued in this case.