Prescription drugs caused "116 million extra visits to a physician per year, 76 million additional prescriptions a year, 17 million emergency department visits, 8 million admissions to hospitals, 3 million admissions to long-term care facilities [ruined for life]...The total cost was estimated to be $76.6 billion, rivaling the aggregate cost of...diabetes." Western Journal of Medicine, June, 2000.

These reports support 305,000 people per year dying from drugs "properly prescribed," circa 1998. "1998-2005...fatal adverse drug events increased 2.7 fold." Archives of Internal Medicine, 9-10-2007. Prescription drugs killed 199,000 outpatients. " ...serious adverse drug events increased 2.6 fold." Archives Internal Medicine, 9-10-2007. Prescription Drugs #1 Cause of Medical Disease, Disability, Death - Health Reform by Congress Expand Prescription drugs killed 106,000 in hospitals from adverse drug reaction ("properly prescribed and administered") making these a leading cause of death. Multiplying the data above (1998) by 2.6, we got 302 million extra visits to a doctor, 198 million more prescriptions, 44 millions emergency department visits, 21 million admissions to long term care, all at a cost. Western Journal of Medicine, June, 2000, p 391. Multiplying 305,000 deaths in 1998 by 2.7, 824,000 drug deaths/yr in 2005 exceeds heart disease.

Journal American Medical Assoc, 4-15-1998.