Science requires transparency. That is why it can only truly thrive in open societies. Societies that are repressive, fascist, or totalitarian cannot help but subvert the scientific process and inhibit the free expression and exchange of ideas that drives scientific progress. There are many examples of this throughout history, my favorite always being Lysenkoism in the former Soviet Union. Iran has now given us a fresh example.

Iran’s Health Minister Kamran Baqeri Lankarani announced that Iranian scientists have developed an herbal cure (called IMOD) for HIV/AIDS. The story has all the earmarks of propaganda. First, the claim is too good to be true. They have discovered a treatment that is more effective than any treatment Western scientists have come up with, in fact they are claiming it is not just a treatment but strongly implying it is a cure. And the treatment has no discernable side effects. Second, the treatment is patriotic, for it is comprised completely of “Iranian native plants.”

The “breakthrough” was revealed with much ceremony and celebration, as part of a larger showcase of Iranian achievements. Iran’s president, Ahmadinejad, declared, “The world should know today that the capable Iranian nation, relying on its own youths and scientists, has now conquered the peaks of knowledge and science.”

It is interesting that this is the first we are hearing of this 7 year research program. In an interview with the head of the Iranian AIDS Research Center one year ago, no mention was made of such research. In fact, Dr. Minoo Mohraz complained of Iran’s dismissive attitude towards AIDS as a “western” disease born of moral corruption.

There are many reasons to be skeptical of the claims being made for IMOD – despite the stink of propaganda. Herbs can indeed contain active ingredients that have pharmacological effects. But in order to be a reliable treatment for a serious illness like HIV/AIDS, the active ingredient(s) will need to be given in fairly controlled doses. This cannot be done with whole plants. It is only feasible if the active ingredient(s) are isolated, purified, and then given in measured doses. Also, without such isolation and purification, it is not possible to accurately study the pharmacodynamics (what the drug does to the body) and pharmacokinetics (what the body does to the drug), which are important in order to figure out dosing schedule, drug-drug interactions, and the effects of kidney or liver function on drug metabolism.

Further, it is unlikely that a significant cure will come out of the blue. Although the Iranian announcement includes that claim that their scientists have been working diligently on this treatment for 7 years, such a breakthrough would likely be the result of multiple discoveries concerning the nature of the interaction between HIV and the immune system. Where is all the basic science?

Finally, the lack of transparency means that the world cannot trust the claims of Iran’s Health Minister. The details of their studies need to be peer-reviewed, and if warranted they should be replicated. Their claims need to be examined from every angle. Of course, this will take years (assuming they are forthcoming with the details of their herbal treatment), meanwhile Iran is free to tout their scientific breakthrough.

The only thing transparent about this remarkable claim is Iran’s motivation for making it. They are desperately grabbing for prestige on the world stage. They wish for the world to take notice and behold the wonder that is Iranian scientific and technological prowess. I cannot avoid making the obvious comparison to the manner in which “Nazi science” was used by Hitler in the same fashion. There may be other motives as well, for example easing the financial burden of paying for all those expensive HIV drugs.

There are two other sad aspects to this episode. The first is that Iran actually has a respectable pool of talent in the areas of science and technology. If they were not under the yoke of an oppressive regime, they could actually be respectable members of the world’s scientific community.

The second and worse aspect of this affair is that Iranian’s with HIV/AIDS are now going to have to pay a personal price for Ahmadinejad’s bluster. Just as many Africans paid the price for their leaders’ HIV denial, now Iranians with HIV will be subjected to probably worthless herbs instead of proven HIV treatment. Perhaps they will be given the herbs in addition to proven therapy, but even this is not risk free. Many herbal remedies have been shown to interfere with the action of anti-retroviral drugs. Also some patients may forgo the proven drugs in order to avoid the side effects, if they are falsely reassured by the offer of the herbal treatment. Either way, it is almost assured that deaths will be caused by this propaganda.

Also, it is worth pointing out that on the off chance there is some real activity to this concoction of Iranian herbs, the lack of transparency means that the rest of the world will be deprived of this effective treatment (or real treatments that can be derived from it) because the science was all done in secret.

Lack of transparency in science is lose-lose.