First Do No Harm
This is a vow I remember taking on graduation day. Many, if not most, medical professionals used to operate under this vow. I even wrote a blog post about it that can be found on my Substack page;
The classical Hippocratic Oath
I swear by Apollo the physician, and Aesculapius the surgeon, likewise Hygieia and Panacea, and call all the gods and goddesses to witness, that I will observe and keep this underwritten oath, to the utmost of my power and judgment.
As a prescriber and practitioner of veterinary medicine, it is my responsibility to conduct due diligence and investigate new products and drugs before administering or prescribing them to my patients. My patients look up to me and depend upon me to do so. Their very lives may depend upon me to do so.
This goes above and beyond the information a pharmaceutical sales rep can offer me.
I often play a game with sales reps called "Three questions". Can I, within three questions, stump the sales rep. It usually goes something like this:
"What is the sample number used in the safety and efficacy trials?"
They dig around in the brochures, trying to read the fine print, if there were even safety or efficacy trials.
"How long were the trials done for?"
More digging.
"Only 3 months you say, when you want me to administer this for months if not years to my patients?"
No answer.
Yet, in this modern age, when we carry the FDA website and Patient Information Sheets in the palms of our hands, doctors and veterinarians are just too busy to look up this information. They trust the companies that will potentially make, or have already made, millions of dollars off the product.
By the way, this information is available to anyone wanting to look it up. You do not need to be a medical professional. I even give you a lesson on how to begin to interpret it in my very first Substack post on....I bet you already know the product I am talking about.
LIBRELA
In our current times of accelerated technological and scientific innovation, alongside the effect of regulatory agency capture, the need to be discerning is more vital than ever.
We need to dig deep and educate ourselves. If it sounds too good to be true or they are promising miracles, that's a BIG RED flag. Your life or your best friend's life may be at stake.
Haven't we learned anything over the past 5 years?
What a fantastic post! This is particularly valuable:
"What is the sample number used in the safety and efficacy trials?"
They dig around in the brochures, trying to read the fine print, if there were even safety or efficacy trials.
"How long were the trials done for?"
More digging.
"Only 3 months you say, when you want me to administer this for months if not years to my patients?"
No answer."
I love and admire your integrity, discernment, and loyalty to the 4-leggeds in need of rational, ethical, and effective care. Bravo and thank you! You are a rarity.
You're such a gift, Josie! XOXO