An FDA panel voted against approving MDMA (ecstasy) for post-traumatic stress disorder. Leaving out the details of the affairI was offended by this statement on innovation from one of the experts voting no:
“I completely agree that we need new and better treatments for PTSD,” said Paul Holtzheimer, deputy director of research at the National Center for PTSD, a panelist who voted no on the question of whether the benefits of MDMA therapy outweighed the risks.
“However, I also note that the premature introduction of a treatment can actually stifle development, stifle implementation and lead to the premature adoption of treatments that are not completely known to be safe, that do not are not fully effective or not used optimally,” he said. added.
A classic example of making the perfect the enemy of the good. But the problem is even worse. Holtzheimer seems to think that treatments arise from the laboratory, perfectly formed, like Athena springs from the forehead of Zeus. Indeed, Holtzheimer suggests that treatments be kept in the laboratory until they are perfect. Newsflash: There is no perfect treatment – no drug or device used today is completely known to be safe, fully effective, and used optimally. Not one. If we follow Holtzheimer’s advice, we will never approve a new drug.
Innovation is a dynamic process; success rarely comes the first time. The key to innovation is continuous refinement and improvement. A company that makes sales gains more resources to invest in new research and development. Additionally, they benefit from customer feedback, which provides them with valuable information to improve their products and processes. Learning by doing requires doing. But if imperfect treatments are never approved, scientists often don’t return to the lab to refine and improve them. Instead, the project dies. So, when considering innovation today, it is essential to think not only about the current state of technology, but also about the entire development trajectory. A slightly better treatment today may be a lot better tomorrow.
Small steps towards a much better world.
