This story touts the potential benefits of an anti-obesity drug that has been tested only in mice. Based on the statements of researchers who stand to earn royalties on the drug, and despite the lack of any evidence (since human testing is likely years away), the story declares that research shows this drug to be “much safer” than other drugs to treat obesity. Overall, this story says too much about things that have yet to be tested, and not enough about the hurdles that stand between this experimental drug and clinical approval.
While novel approaches to serious health problems are newsworthy, stories on drugs that have yet to pass animal testing should avoid raising expectations.
Although we often don’t expect to see firm cost estimates in stories about experimental treatments, a story that exudes such confidence that a new treatment is likely to succeed should at least begin to ask how much it might cost. Is it a chemical that can be produced at relatively low cost or is it more like the sort of exotic treatments that are sold for thousands of dollars a year? Several new obesity drugs have been approved in recent years. The story could have mentioned the price of these drugs to give us some idea of what a new drug might possibly cost.
The story says the compound causes the body to burn fat to make room for new calories, relieves cellular inflammation, and reduces insulin resistance. Even though these benefits were only seen in mice, we’d still expect to see some quantification of what was observed.
The story passes along a claim that this drug would be safer than other treatments. This is irresponsible. Since the drug has yet to be tested in people, it is impossible to know what potential harms might be found later.
The story took three paragraphs and 122 words to tell us that this study involved mice. And the headline said, “…as if YOU’VE just finished a meal.” (emphasis ours) Not MICE finishing a meal. YOU. The story also doesn’t make clear to the reader that mouse studies rarely lead to medications that can be used in humans. Remember leptin? Dramatic results in mouse studies 20 years ago produced great expectations about new treatments for obesity in people, but it hasn’t panned out. The story should have given readers a more realistic understanding of the long odds facing this drug.
We also take issue with some of the language in this story. The story allows the researcher to say, ”We described a new type of therapy.” “Therapy” implies effective treatment of people. Effective treatment in any species hasn’t been firmly established. Much less in people. Lawyers use the term “therapeutic misconception” to describe this type of error, which we’ve written about before (see here and here). This story is an example of therapeutic misconception.
Obesity is a serious health issue. The story mentions that this drug might be an alternative to surgery for people who are morbidly obese.
This story fails readers by withholding the fact that the leading researchers are co-inventors of the molecule. The journal notes that they “may be entitled to royalties.” This financial interest should have been reported in the story.
What’s more, the story does not include any independent experts who could put the study results into context.
The story does mention surgical treatment of morbid obesity, but it prematurely suggests that the drug would be superior, despite an absence of evidence. A more suitable comparison may have been other medications for obesity and their mechanism of action.
The story does caution readers not to expect this drug to be available any time soon.
It does appear that this approach is novel.
The quotes in the story are not the same as the ones in a news release issued by the Salk Institute, so it appears an interview was done. However, it should also be noted that in some ways the news release was more cautious than this story about the drug and its potential use in treating obesity. For example, the story says the research shows the drug is “much safer” than systemic stimulants, whereas the release says the researchers “hypothesize” that the drug is “likely safer in humans” than similar drugs.
See http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=2068
Systematic, Criteria-Driven
We’ve written about the hype of liquid biopsies for years (see link in comment below). And now this…. https://www.statnews.com/2022/01/12/medicare-shouldnt-cover-liquid-biopsies-early-cancer-detection/
Case counts still matter. “(There) are stories that may not be told adequately if only hospitalizations and deaths are emphasized.” @garyschwitzer interviewed by @dbauder of @AP. https://apnews.com/article/omicron-changing-news-outlets-covid-data-da9272f7c4c8a109c3bfb56bed9e9c76
My friend Gary @garyschwitzer wrote to his city council representative in a Minnesota town about a Viva Las Vegas event scheduled for January.
The response he got seems to perfectly capture where we are now.
https://www.healthnewsreview.org/2021/12/2021-ends-with-covid-craziness-in-sports-and-politics/
Comments
Please note, comments are no longer published through this website. All previously made comments are still archived and available for viewing through select posts.
Our Comments Policy
But before leaving a comment, please review these notes about our policy.
You are responsible for any comments you leave on this site.
This site is primarily a forum for discussion about the quality (or lack thereof) in journalism or other media messages (advertising, marketing, public relations, medical journals, etc.) It is not intended to be a forum for definitive discussions about medicine or science.
We will delete comments that include personal attacks, unfounded allegations, unverified claims, product pitches, profanity or any from anyone who does not list a full name and a functioning email address. We will also end any thread of repetitive comments. We don”t give medical advice so we won”t respond to questions asking for it.
We don”t have sufficient staffing to contact each commenter who left such a message. If you have a question about why your comment was edited or removed, you can email us at feedback@healthnewsreview.org.
There has been a recent burst of attention to troubles with many comments left on science and science news/communication websites. Read “Online science comments: trolls, trash and treasure.”
The authors of the Retraction Watch comments policy urge commenters:
We”re also concerned about anonymous comments. We ask that all commenters leave their full name and provide an actual email address in case we feel we need to contact them. We may delete any comment left by someone who does not leave their name and a legitimate email address.
And, as noted, product pitches of any sort – pushing treatments, tests, products, procedures, physicians, medical centers, books, websites – are likely to be deleted. We don”t accept advertising on this site and are not going to give it away free.
The ability to leave comments expires after a certain period of time. So you may find that you’re unable to leave a comment on an article that is more than a few months old.
You might also like