To be clear, this isn't some settled math like basic algebra or science like Newtonian physics - this is cutting edge stuff at the intersection of medicine, pub

To be clear, this isn't some settled math like basic algebra or science like Newtonian physics - this is cutting edge stuff at the intersection of medicine, public health, and biotechnology. Experts disagree about the nuances of measuring the efficacy of drugs, vaccines, and therapeutics so throw in the glaring ethical concerns into the mix and you have a recipe for a complex field. It's rare (unheard of?) to find a clinical trial where the company (or their CRO) scientists didn't sit down with FDA regulators and negotiate over key features & risk indicators, benchmarking, patient selection, and so on because they bring expertise the FDA is unlikely to have. It's very difficult to get even a basic grasp of the details because you need to grok some complex statistics, biology, and public health to really dig in. Journalists sure aren't going to get the nuances so of course you have to read the academic literature.