Onus is on the drug companies

MAKERS of pharmaceuticals have a bounden duty to ensure their products are both effective and safe for the people who take them.

This requirement has been underlined by news that Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche is being sued by some 40 Irish people who claim its anti-acne drug has caused psychiatric disorders such as depression and suicide.

On a global basis, the drug in question has been linked to more than 150 suicides and is also cited in hundreds of cases in which people have attempted to take their own lives.