On May 8, 1974, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Bureau of Drugs published the final report of "Survey of Drug Information Needs and Problems Associated With Communications Directed to Practicing Physicians." It is a fascinating document. It would seem that the FDA has accepted (assumed?) a broader mandate than many of us anticipated in its capacity as a regulatory agency. The report states: The Food and Drug Administration's Bureau of Drugs is responsible for a wide range of activities designed to insure that prescription drugs aresafely prescribed and used, and appropriately advertised. The scope of these activities include FDA consideration of drug efficacy, quality, safety and labeling [italics added]. The breadth of implication in this statement lends itself to speculation about how the FDA might go about ensuring "safe prescription and use." But the thrust of this document indicates that the FDA is concerned witheducating physicians about