Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You don't test the second drug because you have already found the
substance you need.
After more trials, the drug is recommended to doctors as a therapy for
the condition. A few side-effects, such as nausea, are reported. In some instances,
the nausea is more severe, and patients have a hard time getting through the
day. Others simply aren't able to keep the drug down, which means it doesn't
work on their condition.
You now wonder if you should have tested drug B to see if it had the same
side-effects.
"Thorough work and exploration of detail is so important," says pharmacologist
James Hammond. "This is a research-based career and the experiments you create
have to be exact.
"At this level, decision making is complex and very important," he adds.
Hammond says he would choose to test the second drug. However, he is answering
from an academic perspective, where the idea is to research different drugs
and their properties and side effects. He says that a pharmacologist working
in industry would probably not choose to test the second drug because the
bottom line often rules and they would want to save money.