Need to initiate coding practices in Pharmacological research activities

Abstract

Medical coding has been in practice in US, and UK markets, and some parts of Europe. However, its penetration to the other world countries has not been seen so far. Coding practices bring harmonization in the overall practice of the medical field. The present Letter to Editor has been written to suggest coding practices in Pharmacological research and coding practices in pre – clinical and clinical trials. Hope this will add to the overall improvement in the practices of this very imperative field of medical and pharmaceutical science.

Keywords: Coding in Pre-clinical trials, Coding in Pharmacological research

Pharmacological research and pre-clinical trials are one of the foundation practices in order to find a suitable drug or medicine. Pharmacological research involves animal handling, and drug dosing at different interval of time. In order to find a suitable drug effective for any particular targeted disease, lot of lead compounds are tested on animals and different models are applied and experimented upon. However, till date precision based data monitoring of these research activities and for sake in pre-clinical trials the monitoring to the detail hasn’t been in the practice. This makes the planning of budget for these research activities bit cumbersome and difficult.

In order, to find accurate budgeting and monitoring of pharmacological research and pre-clinical trials, coding practices shall be initiated while conducting such research activities. Reason being, the cost incurred while conducting such trials and research could be documented, and it would help in further proper estimation of budget requirements to conduct such trials and research activities effectively and efficiently. Like in Medical coding, I would suggest, Pre-clinical trial coding practices to be initiated across the world, as it would help in harmonization of these trials at global level. This would not only help in monitoring the pharmacological research activities at global level anywhere across the world, but, would also help in highlighting any loopholes or fake claims being made while conducting such trials.

There are lot of incidents in research arena across the world, where fake trials have been reported in order to approve the drugs, which may have superficial or spurious actions later when such drugs after passing through such trials are launched in the market. This is a big threat. So, the best practices, is to include, a monitoring system based at global location and centralized location which can monitor any loopholes or ill practices while conducting especially pre-clinical trials or animal research the basic foundation of pharmacological research.

The cost of launching spurious drugs in the market, is huge, not in terms of the cost involved in manufacturing such drugs at a large scale but also considering the risk it poses to health of the population for which a particular drug is research in order to mitigate the disease or its effects.

Pre-clinical trial coding and Pharmacological Research Coding will have positive cause and effect consequence’s in future of any drug research. Hence, its highly being suggested to bring harmonization in the research activities in pharmacology arena and penalize the culprits who are doing wrong practices in order to pass their lead compounds just in order to have fake trial approvals and mint money by selling such drugs, and running away with the money made from such spurious drugs sales. ¹

Reference

1.      Devansh Mehta. Clinical Research and Clinical Trial Coding: A New Perspective. Inventi Rapid: Clinical Research, 016(4):1-1, 2016.