Pharmaceutical companies are understandably reluctant to study long-term effects of their most profitable drugs: The studies are expensive and run the risk of turning up bad news. But the NIH is doing some of this. For example, its huge Women's Health Initiative is examining the actual risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy. For years women have been told that HRT can reduce the risk of heart disease, but preliminary study results suggest that women on the hormones have an increased incidence of heart attack, stroke, and blood clots. Similarly, the National Institute of Mental Health is comparing the effectiveness of available anti-psychotics in treating schizophrenia. Both studies are highly worthy, though extremely late. HRT, after all, has been prescribed for 50 years to millions of women.