Gary Schwitzer, publisher of HealthNewsReview.org, lists more than a dozen pitfalls to be avoided when writing about clinical trials and other aspects of medical research. Example: "Many stories about drugs that are still in clinical trials include some estimate or projection of when the drug ... might be available on the market. Many times, such projections are just shots in the dark."
Also, "Journalists who report on drugs while they are still in clinical trials need to understand the distinction between Phases I, II, and III of drug trials. It is misleading to report bold or conclusive statements about how well a drug works when it is only in Phase I trials, since the primary goal of Phase I trials is to evaluate how safe a drug is, not how well it works."
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