UK Press Association breaks embargo on tiny study of potential endometriosis drug

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has lifted the embargo early on a study of a potential drug for endometriosis, after the UK Press Association ran the story early.

PNAS tells Embargo Watch:

A wire story from the UK Press Association was published ahead of the scheduled embargo. We are investigating the circumstances.

A press release from the University of Edinburgh for the study — which does not appear to be online yet — says that “painful symptoms of endometriosis – a chronic condition which affects millions of women – could potentially be reduced with a drug that had previously been investigated as a cancer treatment.”

But the study involved just 16 women — and some mice. While any potential treatment of a debilitating condition could be good news, the fact that this finding appeared in a journal not known for publishing clinical trials suggests that it might be a good idea to keep the enthusiasm at bay for quite a while.