THE ESSENTIAL
- The Prescrire magazine recommends against 106 medications, 88 of which are sold in France.
- They should be avoided because of their side effects or their lack of effectiveness.
- She cites in particular medicines for coughs and sore throats, Spasfon or Smecta.
Not all medications are good to take. Some have too many side effects, others are no longer effective enough compared to the new treatments available or still others have less effectiveness. Every year the magazine Prescribe carries out an analysis of the treatments authorized in France and the European Union. She has just published her report for 2025, with 106 drugs to avoid according to her, of which 88 are marketed in France.
How does the Prescrire magazine evaluate medications?
“This report identifies in a documented manner medicines that are more dangerous than useful, with the aim of helping to choose quality care, not to harm patients and to avoid disproportionate harm.”specifies the magazine in the preamble. To achieve this, it follows a rigorous procedure: taking into account adverse effects, analyzing results according to effectiveness, prioritizing data according to the level of evidence, etc. The 106 medications cited among those to be avoided are either treatments with demonstrated effectiveness but which, taking into account the clinical situation, expose people to risks disproportionate to the benefits they provide; old medicines whose use is out of date, because other more recent medicines have a more favorable benefit-risk balance; recent medications, whose benefit-risk balance is less favorable than that of older medications or medications whose effectiveness is not proven beyond that of a placebo, and which expose one to particularly serious adverse effects.
Prescrire review: many medications for coughs and sore throats
On the list of Prescribemedications are classified by category. When it comes to treating coughs, sore throats and colds, she rules out many products. “Various medications used to relieve a cough, sometimes annoying but benign, expose with disproportionate adverse effects”she specifies. She therefore advises against pentoxyverine (Pentoxyverine Clarix 0.15%), oxomemazine (Toplexil or other), ambroxol (Muxol or other) and bromhexine (Bisolvon). “When a medication seems necessary to relieve sore throats in addition to non-medicinal measures such as drinking water or sucking sweets, paracetamol, by controlling its dosage, is the best option.noted Prescribe. Alpha-amylase (Maxilase or other) has no greater effect than a placebo and can cause allergic reactions.
Lead: medicated clays must be avoided
In his balance sheet, Prescribe also targets medications used in cases of gastroenterological disorders. “Medicated clays used in various intestinal disorders including diarrhea, heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux should be avoided due to their natural lead pollution.she warns. She cites diosmectite (Smecta or other), hydro talcite (Rennieliquo), beidellitic montmorillonite alias monmectite (Bedelix, and in combination in Gelox) and kaolin (in combination in Gastropax). “Lead has neurological, hematological, renal and cardiovascular toxic effects, and reprotoxic effects, most of which increase with the exposure dose.alert Prescribe.
Spasfon: what does the Prescrire magazine recommend?
Spasfon, the trade name of the drug based on phloroglucinol, was analyzed by the teams of Prescribe: In total, around twenty reports and summaries were studied by the authors. “Its symptomatic effectiveness on recurrent benign intestinal disorders is uncertain. In other clinical situations, there is nothing to expect from phloroglucinol beyond effectiveness. of a placebo. In women who are pregnant or who could become pregnant, it should be avoided whatever the clinical situation, alert these experts. It is prudent to advise against taking it as self-medication, which is commonplace in France..”
