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.