Calls for an investigation into the increasing numbers of UK patients dying as a result of adverse reactions to prescribed drugs.

The Government is facing calls for an investigation after it was disclosed that the number of patients dying as a result of a reaction to the drugs they were being treated with had doubled over the past 10 years. Figures released by the Department of Health in a parliamentary answer showed that 1,031 patients died last year as a result of an adverse drugs reaction (ADR) compared to 447 in 1997, a 131% increase. Over the same period, the number of ADR cases requiring prolonged hospitalisation rose from 2,484 to 4,545 - an 87% increase - while the total number of reported ADRs was up 30% from 16,627 to 21,600.
Read UK Press Association news report at google.com
Comment: These UK statistics are almost certainly a severe underestimate, as medical experts warn that as few as one in 10 deaths and other serious complications are being reported.