Essay: Avoiding unfounded health claims on small molecules in scientific literature

The publication of unfounded health claims on small molecules in peer-reviewed scientific literature is a problem that requires attention. It undermines the evidence-based decision making processes of modern-day society, weakens the credibility of the scientific enterprise, and diverts resources to futile research efforts. In the present essay we discuss some human and scientific causes behind the issue. We propose a number of actions to be taken up by scientists, referees and publishers. One particularly important factor is the issue of enigmatic compound behavior in biological assays. We therefore also introduce the idea of biological filters, a pattern recognition method to triage enigmatic compounds into valuable hits and false positives, based on the entirety of their biological effects in cell-based systems.