Drug-induced lung disease: unwanted collateral damage

The term “drug”, originated from the French word “drogue”, refers to any substance or product that is used or intended to be used to modify or explore physiological systems or pathological states for the benefit of the recipient [1]. Since the start of the contemporary medicine era in the 19th century, there has been acceleration in drug discovery with over 800 new agents being approved by the US Food and Drug Administration over the past two decades [2, 3]. While drugs are fundamental for advancing health outcomes, they each are a double-edged sword that carries risks of unwanted side-effects. Of these, pulmonary toxicity in the form of drug-induced lung disease is among the most important, with potential detrimental impacts on health and even fatal sequelae. The French pharmacovigilance database study by S. Yavordios and co-workers highlights the significance and legitimate risk of drug-induced lung disease, including 13.3% of fatal events https://bit.ly/4fY0DEF