This review points out how, by more effectively operationalizing the aim that scientific discoveries provide human benefits, translational medicine will strengthen current standards for validity of neuropsychiatric drug developments, their scientific adequacy, and their relevance to patient care. Braithwaite (39) states that, in science “effectiveness” is sufficient for “the adjective ‘valid’ to be applied to an inductive inference from known evidence.” We have discussed two CTs: one accepted as a valid test of its drug’s lack of efficacy and the second as valid to ground best-practice guidance for clinicians. We find that upon implementation, each fails to be sound, implying that the trials underpinning these inferences were not in fact valid.
