FDA to use patient-generated reports to evaluate drug safety

The Washington Post reports today:

[I]n an effort to get a fuller understanding of side effects of certain medicines, the FDA is partnering with a networking forum called PatientsLikeMe, which allows people with the same disease or condition to connect with others and share their experiences.

The site, among the largest of its kind, has more than 350,000 members reporting on about 2,500 conditions. That translates to a massive amount of data, which can be sold to pharmaceutical companies, regulators and care providers. But rather than sell that information to the government, the group plans to collaborate with the FDA to develop new methods of finding problems with new drugs.

The hope is that "patient-generated data could give a more complete picture on side effects by providing more context."

The full story is here.