October 1, 2021
Here at Speaking of Research, we have continually called for news outlets to unabashedly recognize when medical developments have relied on animal research. The public has a need, and a right, to understand and appreciate the entire biomedical advancement process from idea all the way through to treatment.
We applaud The Washington Post, and in particular science reporter Carolyn Johnson, for doing just that in today’s article reporting on Merck’s new experimental pill, molnupiravir, which has just been shown in human clinical trials to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by nearly half. Though the recognition of animal-based research comes near the end, we commend WaPo for not only recognizing the contribution of animals to the development of molnupiravir, but also for linking directly to one of the peer-reviewed scientific articles published in September that demonstrated its effectiveness in a hamster infection model of COVID-19.
Keep up the great work, WaPo – and may others follow your lead!
~Speaking of Research
Speaking of Research 