Biobullshit

As the philosopher Harry Frankfurt notes, in his classic essay 'On Bullshit', "one of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit. Everyone knows this. Each of us contributes his share".

Frankfurt's exploration of bullshit is, he points out, not concerned with "the rhetorical uses and misuses" of the stuff. He is more concerned with exploring "the structure of its concept". I can't recommend his essay [available as a single volume] highly enough.

But in the meantime, scroll down the page for a very brief sketch of some of the rhetorical applications of bullshit that you'll come across regularly in the biotechnology/drug development business. People like me wade through this stuff so you don't have to.

novel compounds

A euphemism for me-too drugs, apart from those very rare novel compounds that are genuinely first in class.

me-too drugs
An impolite way of referring to novel compounds, apart from those very rare novel compounds that are genuinely first in class.

genuinely first in class
A very rare type of drug that is a novel compound but not a me-too drug.

positive trend toward efficacy
We didn't hit the endpoint, but the trial wasn't a complete bust - at least not for the purposes of this press release.

high placebo response
No, the drug really isn't as bad as that - it worked great in the lab.

industry-leading pipeline
Everyone's got one, so why shouldn't we?

partner of choice
We are so desperate for a deal that we'll jump through any combination of hoops to get one.

potentially synergistic
Maybe a combination of these two drugs will be more than the sum of its parts; then again, maybe it won't.

financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed
Some of the details are a tad embarrassing, and we'd like to keep our dignity intact.

emerging therapeutic paradigm [this is a newly emerging cliche]
Our CEO, who's a business major and generally likes to steer clear of the science, loves saying this at corporate presentations. It makes him sound authoritative.

newly emerging threat
Be afraid, be very afraid - and give us a generous dollop of research funding so we can have a closer look.

clinically proven
Someone, somewhere did some sort of trial on this and established something or other, so it's all scientific and above board. [particularly useful for people flogging cosmeceuticals & nutraceuticals]

cosmeceutical
a failed drug that you can add to skin cream

nutraceutical
a failed drug that you can add to baby formula or dairy products

QUB's Misleading PR

Top marks to the publicity department at Queen's University Belfast for getting broad TV & print coverage for their role in the development of a new cystic fibrosis drug, called ivacaftor or VX-770. It's the first disease-modifying therapy in cystic fibrosis, so it's an important development,even if only a small percentage of CF patients (those with the G551D or 'Celtic' mutation) will benefit.

But on reading the press release, you'd be forgiven for thinking that most, if not all, of the work emanated from Queens, whereas American science and American dollars actually made it happen. Queens played a lead role in some of the clinical trials of the drug, but to state that "An international research team led by Queen’s University have [sic] developed a ground breaking treatment for Cystic Fibrosis sufferers" is hugely misleading - particularly when Vertex Pharmaceuticals, the company that actually developed the drug (with the longterm collaboration of the US Cystic Fibrosis Foundation), is not even mentioned in the press release. I'm amazed that the clinical researchers involved can stand over this.

More here on ivacaftor and on other disease-modifying CF drugs in development.