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Editorial: Truth vs Opinion
Truth is Truth.
Opinion may or may not be Truth.
As pharmacists, we rely heavily on available information to make judgments every day. What is the basis for the information? Is it truth or opinion? It's scary to think about this sometimes.
The prescription drugs we dispense come with labeled information that is truthful�.right? Not really. The labeled indications, warnings, etc. that come with each and every drug product are only opinions; these opinions may or may not be truthful.
Think about it for a few minutes. Where did the labeling information come from? The original work came from laboratories and clinical studies. In the laboratory, things are not always black and white. Statistics are often used to determine the degree of "grayness" in the data and the confidence one might have in the data concerning that drug. This includes physicochemical data as well as clinical data. If everything was black or white, we would not necessarily need statistics. So, we have data that is determined by testing and is the "opinion" of the laboratory scientists and clinicians that the drug will do this or that. Is it truthful? It may or may not be. As we have seen over the years with drug recalls and removal from the market, what was perceived as being the "truth" was not the truth, only an incorrect opinion.
When the data on a drug is presented to the FDA by the pharmaceutical company, the FDA must evaluate the data and form an "opinion" about whether or not the drug should be allowed on the market. Next, information that should be on the label is collected, evaluated, and determined from the information provided by the pharmaceutical company. Truth or opinion? Obviously, these are the "opinions" of the individuals involved and may or may not be the truth.
This is still the best system anywhere in the world, but it is still based on "opinion" and is not always the truth. When an opinion is expressed often enough and forceful enough, individuals tend to believe it, even though it may not be the truth. This is what happens with advertising, promotion, etc. of the attributes of the drug. It makes it even more troublesome when the advertising goes directly to the consumer who has no real education in evaluating the claims.
Oftentimes, an individual hears an opinion and communicates it to someone else as truthful, then down the line the individual is told an opinion as the truth. Think about all the examples of this in your daily and professional life. Think about the claims for all the prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, nutritionals, herbals, and other agents sold in pharmacies. How many of the claims are truthful and how many are opinions. When you counsel patients on these items, are they presented as "truth" or "opinion"? This places extra burden on health professionals because what we say is taken as the "truth" by patients, when, in fact, it may only be "opinion."
Loyd V. Allen, Jr., PhD, RPh
Editor-in-Chief
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Keep Up With What is Going ON!!!!
In a recent issue of Drug Topics (August 20, 2007), a survey from Boehringer Ingelheim Wilson Rx Pharmacy Satisfaction Digest reveals that 70% of customers of leading retail chain pharmacies are interested in having a kiosk to pick up and pay for their prescriptions, even when the pharmacy is closed. Wow, what is the public saying here? Think about it!
Unit of issue packaging (mfg)—>Electronic prescribing sent to local Kiosk (MD)
—>Computerized checking for allergies, interactions, etc (Kiosk). —>Robotic labeling within a Kiosk —>Pickup and Pay by consumer —>RPh wondering what happened!
Our Future?
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