? Why do we buy drugs that don’t work?
Do you sometimes treat your blocked nose with an over-the-counter nasal spray, or suck on a Strepsil to soothe a sore throat? You are not alone; these two treatments are among the most widely used of drugs, especially as you can get them at a local pharmacy or in supermarkets without needing a prescription. But according to several studies, the evidence available for their effectiveness is by no means clear-cut.
Even more surprising to find on the list of less-than-proven drugs is paracetamol. A major report from 2021 found that the active ingredient of paracetamol has a well-documented effect on only 4 out of 44 types of pain when tested over time. Even in the
