Medical fraud is not uncommon. But committing fraud during the times of crisis when you could lose your own life to a deadly disease is unprecedented in the history of medicine.
The recent controversy (Two Huge Covid-19 Studies Are Retracted After Scientists Sound Alarms, New York Times, June 4) has once again revealed an ugly aspect of medical profession, and has already put the world’s two “largest democracies” and the two “most revered” medical journals (NEJM and Lancet) to shame.
Why did reputed medical scientists become dishonest at a time when there was a 'more than ever' need to be more truthful and upright?
Were they only driven by their ambitions for more recognition? Or there is some truth in the allegations that “Big Pharma” were the real actors behind the scenes?
Temptation (to money or fame or both) seems to be the key, sir!!!
May be availing the path of shortcuts?
Traversing the territory of science in which those authors did not have much expertise may be another factor.
Big learning experience for all the young researchers.
I fully agree. Check out the resources of the retracted Lancet study: All received fees from big pharma. Big Pharma does not like cheap medication that they do not hold the patents for.
And researchers/phycisians who commit fraud for their own personal benefit should be dismissed and/or have their practitioner's license revoked.
I think that this is the outcome of the organization of scientific research in the medical domain, giving much room to private research with private interests and reducing every day the place of public research. Even the so called public research is often done with private financing in the form of chairs, sponsoring... This is not harmless and introduces conflicts of interest everywhere, including within the public institutions expected to control and regulate the sector. I think much should be done to understand how things work and should work. Much should be done to reorganize the sector to minimize those effects.
https://forbetterscience.com/2020/06/05/would-lancet-and-nejm-retractions-happen-if-not-for-covid-19-and-chloroquine/
Unfortunately, there is a trade in the lives of people by researchers at the time of their basic need against this pandemic.
Post publication critical appraisal of research is completely missing. No frequent questioning from the reader's side in a documented way relieves authors and journals from the all kind of accountabilities. To legalise their personal interests in form of sturctured guidelines, pharmaceutical companies are using journals as their modus operandi. Even the authorities issuing disease management guidelines are blind to their scientific misconduct. Complete reliance on journal review process by authorities without conducting their own critical appraisal before issuing guidelines escalates the problem.
Or little-pharma in this case = Surgisphere. Puzzling how two papers linked to Harvard in The New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet could pass peer review BEFORE being published? Here is a link to the New York Times article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/health/coronavirus-hydroxychloroquine.html
Christopher C Kelly.
That's an area of investigation. Quite possibly, many heads will tumble if there's a serious investigation.
I totally agree. I think that this is the outcome of the organization of scientific research in the medical domain, giving much room to private research with private interests and reducing every day the place of public research. Removing that from health care during this pandemic would be the best solution. Do we not often say:
Prevention is better than cure?
Many people try to fill their pockets during this Covid-19 period (doctor, nurses, public authorities, ...). Faced with this situation, more vigilance and denunciation will be our major assets.
Despite all these negative aspects that may happen, i see committed people working hard to help in presenting solutions. Things that are not based on evidence or fabricated cannot stand and will disapear.
To me, where is the message "NO CONFLICT OF INTEREST" again?. I think the scientists involved should be dealt with and their sponsors should be thoroughly investigated, and if found guilty they should be equally banned or have their licence revoked. There are many frauds even before the pandemic which continue to grow wings in the scientific community, one of the reasons why the public suffer severe harms through some fabricated study outcomes and many influenced pharma marketing strategies.
You will find this anecdotal report interesting...
Preprint Covid-19 and Hydroxychloroquine: About Harvard -The Lancet -...
I notice a rush in the scientific community, especially in medicals, to publish facts on COVID without solidifying claims.
