Many consumers are still reeling from the recent run of frightening news about the safety of prescription drugs in the U.S. The parents of children taking the antidepressant Paxil were stunned last year to learn not only that the medication was not effective in children but also that it may increase the risk of suicide in children and teenagers. In September, millions of Americans taking the arthritispain drug Vioxx saw it pulled from the market after its link to heart-attack risk was firmly established. A few months later came the news that Celebrex, the most widely prescribed arthritis-pain medication, raised similar concerns.