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False and outdated information
The issue
ChatGPT may respond to prompts with information that is false and/or outdated. Just as you would with any research, it is important to fact-check and use additional, authoritative sources of information before taking ChatGPT’s answer as definitive. Special care and attention should be paid when doing research whose results may have harmful impact on people, for example, Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
As of this writing, ChatGPT’s training corpus is largely built on texts produced before 2021. As a result, the information obtained may be incomplete and/or factually incorrect, especially in fields of study where new research is produced at a quick pace.
Example: false and outdated information
NOTE: The following example is meant to illustrate some of the problems in using ChatGPT for research in Pharmacy. It should not be taken as medical or pharmaceutical advice
Considerations
In this example there is incorrect information:
- Cibinqo is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor and not a monoclonal antibody
- The generic name for Cibinqo is abrocitinib and not bimagrumab
- The choice of bibliographic references to support the answer is not the best. More recent literature has been published on this topic and this is not captured in ChatGPT’s response (likely because ChatGPT only contains information up to 2021).
- A basic keyword search in PubMed, (abrocitinib OR cibinqo) AND (dupixent OR dupilumab) AND atopic dermatitis retrieves two very recent references which challenge the response provided by ChatGPT:
- Reich K, Thyssen JP, Blauvelt A, et al. Efficacy and safety of abrocitinib versus dupilumab in adults with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis: a randomised, double-blind, multicentre phase 3 trial. Lancet. 2022;400(10348):273-282. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01199-0
- Bieber T, Simpson EL, Silverberg JI, et al. Abrocitinib versus placebo or dupilumab for atopic dermatitis. N Engl J Med. 2021;384(12):1101-1112. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2019380
- See also: Creating a Search Strategy in the Pharmacy research guide. Other discipline-specific library research guides may also include tips on using different databases.
- A basic keyword search in PubMed, (abrocitinib OR cibinqo) AND (dupixent OR dupilumab) AND atopic dermatitis retrieves two very recent references which challenge the response provided by ChatGPT:
- One of the references provided in ChatGPT’s response (#3 – Nemoto, Furue, Nakagawa, et al.) does not exist. The DOI links to a completely different article, “Racial differences in time to treatment for melanoma.”
- See also: Incorrect bibliographic references in this research guide
- The journal names in the bibliographic references should be italicized, and only the first word of the article title should be capitalized. Otherwise, the references have been appropriately formatted in the AMA Style.
Screen capture transcripts: false and outdated information
ChatGPT screen capture 1 transcript
[Prompt]
Compare cibinqo to dupixent for the treatment of atopic dermatitis and provide full bibliographic references in the AMA Style.
[Reply]
Cibinqo and Dupixent are both FDA-approved medications for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, a chronic inflammatory skin condition. However, they have different mechanisms of action and clinical outcomes.
Cibinqo (bimagrumab) is a monoclonal antibody that targets and inhibits the activin type II receptor, which is involved in the regulation of muscle mass and inflammation. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2b trial, Cibinqo demonstrated a significant reduction in the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) score, a measure of disease severity, compared to placebo in patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. However, the trial also reported a high incidence of injection site reactions and adverse events, including upper respiratory tract infections, headache, and diarrhea.
On the other hand, Dupixent (dupilumab) is a monoclonal antibody that blocks the interleukin-4 receptor alpha (IL-4Rα) and interleukin-13 (IL-13) pathways, which play a key role in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis. Dupixent has demonstrated significant efficacy in reducing the severity of atopic dermatitis symptoms in several randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 trials. In these studies, Dupixent was shown to significantly reduce the EASI score, improve the overall disease severity, and improve quality of life compared to placebo, with a favorable safety profile.
Overall, while both medications show promise in the treatment of atopic dermatitis, Dupixent appears to be the more effective and safer option based on current clinical evidence.
References:
- Ruzicka T, Hanifin JM, Furue M, et al. Anti-interleukin-31 receptor A antibody for atopic dermatitis. N Engl J Med. 2017;376(9):826-835. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1606490
- Simpson EL, Akinlade B, Ardeleanu M, et al. Two Phase 3 Trials of Dupilumab versus Placebo in Atopic Dermatitis. N Engl J Med. 2016;375(24):2335-2348. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1610020
- Nemoto O, Furue M, Nakagawa H, et al. Bimagrumab, an activin receptor type II inhibitor, improves moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase IIb trial. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020;83(2):392-400. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2020.03.094