Sorry but the government is not the only one with the information. First, everyone has the right and the responsibility to inquire about the drugs they are taking--what they are for, and the possible side effects.
The Physicians Desk Reference (PDR) is a book that is available in any library for as long as I can remember--way before anyone ever heard of the internet. It will give information on any commonly used drug.
If you are on an experimental drug, you also have a document provided by an Institutional Review Board that gives every last detail re complications of the treatment.
Again re Coumadin, it is not a new or exotic drug. It has been used for thinning blood clots way before I got into medical issues (I am a long way from being a youngster.) If the patient doesn't have a blood clot i.e., thrombosis, there may be other reasons why the physician wants to keep the patients blood thin.
It's still the physician's responsibility to monitor the patient on this drug. And, let's not ignore the patient/family responsibility to understand the drugs/treatment.
I agree with you. I would never release the doctor or the patient from responsibility. That would be too close to victim thinking. I just wish the government as a whole would act less as nanny activist and act more as a support function for citizens. Imagine what it would be like if you could surf to the FDA official site to verify any information you had. Likewise, the sites like WebMD would have a place to corroborate the info they had.