Section Editor's Note

Abstract

As far back as the Ancient Egyptians, healers have sought medicinals to alleviate human suffering and restore wellbeing. Today that pursuit is stronger than ever. Propelled by the drive to be first, a deeper understanding of pharmacology, advances in manufacturing technology, and supersized research and development budgets, pharmaceutical companies and their scientists have repurposed existing drugs and introduced new ones to an ever-expanding and welcoming consumer audience; some—like the messenger RNA vaccines—at breakneck speeds. Parallel advances in communication, most notably social media, have added jet fuel to this booming enterprise. Although the benefits= cannot be overstated, the unprecedented pace and fanfare with which “miracle drugs” burst onto the scene highlights a widening gap between scientific evidence and public perception and raises concerns in the skeptics among us about the commercializing of science at the public’s expense. Therefore, I’ve chosen to curate a series of articles for the Science Series that demonstrate the increasingly blurred lines separating science reporting from sponsor-generated marketing in the public eye and to explore a theme highly relevant to medical communicators: separating the hope from the hype surrounding the current revolution in drug development. The first 2 articles are presented here, with additional ones to appear in subsequent issues. Each piece sets out to reflect on the science communicator’s imperative to help readers distinguish genuine therapeutic advances from inflated promises.