Uncritical Prescription

The uncritical realism of realist evaluation

This paper is a response to Ray Pawson’s critique of critical realism, the philosophy of science elaborated by Roy Bhaskar. I argue that Pawson misinterprets critical realism’s positions on both natural and social science. His charges concerning its totalising ontology, its arrogant epistemology, and its naive methodology are largely unfounded, such that the differences between critical realism...

[Prescription].

Measuring Prescription Adherence for Pharmaceutical Prescription Refills

Flaws in design, analysis and interpretation of Pfizer's antifungal trials of voriconazole and uncritical subsequent quotations

We have previously described how a series of trials sponsored by Pfizer of its antifungal drug, fluconazole, in cancer patients with neutropenia handicapped the control drug, amphotericin B, by flaws in design and analysis. We describe similar problems in two pivotal trials of Pfizer's new antifungal agent, voriconazole, published in a prestigious journal. In a non-inferiority trial, voriconazo...

Hyped biomedical science or uncritical reporting? Press coverage of genomics (1992-2001) in Québec.

Genomics integrates the promises and perils of modern biomedical science. Canada and the province of Québec embarked late but aggressively in genomics research based on the 'discourse of promise' in which genomics is embedded. This did not prevent the emergence of a 'discourse of concerns', and debates on the wider meaning of genomics and on the risks related to genomics applications such as ge...