‘Flu vaccines yes, elderberries no’: University forced to apologise for false cure claims

A University Professor says “boosting” the claims of laboratory findings has become a current trend of Australian research organisations.

The University of Sydney has been forced to retract its claim that eating elderberries could minimize symptoms of the flu.

The public relations department is under fire for concealing the fact the research into the benefits of eating elderberries was partly funded by Pharmacare, which sells elderberry-based products.

Associate Professor Ken Harvey from the School of Public Health at Monash University told 3AW Breakfast the study itself was reasonable, but there was no evidence to support the claim the berry cured the flu.

“What they could have said was it ‘may have implications’ but to say curing is ridiculous,” Professor Harvey told 3AW.

“They have admitted they were over-hyping their findings.”

Professor Harvey says there will be investigations into the PR department who released the statements, but until then remember “flu vaccine yes, elderberries no”.

Click PLAY to hear the full interview with Professor Ken Harvey