About
Today, tens of millions of people depend on pharmaceuticals to sustain their health, to prevent illnesses from occurring and to treat severe illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and stroke. Although drug therapies can enhance quality of life and cure disease, they can also produce unintended and undesirable effects from minor to life–threatening.
The South Carolina SmartState Center for Medication Safety and Efficacy was created in 2005 to study the effects of prescription and over-the-counter medications, particularly on children and the elderly. The center is also focused on educational and outreach to health care professionals through the Doris Levkoff Meddin Medication Safety Education Program. We aim to find ways to make drug information more consumer-friendly and create new training tools for health care providers.