In the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, what are the lessons
clinical pharmacology could learn to improve our teaching practice and
involvement in research and ethics committees to make sure we are better
prepared for the next emergency. Is there something in the light of the
hydroxychloroquine hype that we as clinical pharmacologists or our
professional societies could have done better? We propose updating the
way we teach about drug development, rules and ethics of off-label
prescribing and critical appraisal of primary sources when guidelines
and top-level evidence are not available. Clinical pharmacology should
play a leading role in the future re-definition of processes and
guidelines for emergencies such as the one we faced in 2020.