We are concerned that by relaxing the stricter scientific methodological standards applied during preclinical chemical and animal studies, CTs and neuropsychiatric drug development have become vulnerable to errors and biases. These problems do not self-correct because these errors and biases are not detected in time to alter the courses of studies and interpretations of outcomes (4, 9, 11, 12). Here, we have explored these issues further and conclude that industry and investigators rely too heavily on technologies designed primarily to meet regulatory standards for drug approvals, without adequate consideration given to advancing scientific knowledge and clinical practices.
