Optimism in a sea of uncertainties: the journalistic coverage on the research of new medicines in Brazil

Abstract

This paper deals with the journalistic coverage of biologically active compounds presented as promising drugs in Brazil. The sample consists of 214 journalistic stories on 40 compounds published in two daily newspapers and a monthly science magazine from January 1990 to December 2016. After 27 years, although journalists and scientists had claimed that all compounds would become drugs in a few years, only two completed the evaluation tests and were approved for commercialisation. The paper provides a series of strategies to build a more analytical view on drug research and development.

News coverage of drug development: implications for the conveyance of health information

“…In fact, the efficacy of a drug may decline over time, especially after a period of clinical use. Mass media-fueled optimism about the power of a new drug may hinder accurate public perception of the actual potential of the reported drug, thereby leading to the illusion of knowing [ 38 ].…”