Corona Researchers Chase Cash – Not Credibility by Pavithran
The Lancet and New England Journal
of Medicine (NEJM) are two most influential medical journals in the world. The
World Health Organization relies on such magazines in initiating actions in
respect of Health Measures worldwide.
The Lancet had published an article
wherein it was stated that it found no benefit from the use of hydroxychloroquine (HCD), a well known antimalarial, to treat sick COVID-19 patients.
Further the article had warned that the drug
dramatically increased the death rate of COVID-19 patients.
Similarly New England Journal of
Medicine (NEJM) had published an article focused on the association between
cardiovascular disease, COVID-19 and drugs that target the enzymes that play a
role in facilitating the virus in attacking a host. The article had further stated that certain
blood pressure drugs, including angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors will increase the risk
of death among Covid-19 patients.
The World Health Organization
relying on the Lancet Article suspended drug trials using HCD to treat sick
Covid-19 patients. This led to some countries in Europe withdrawing HCD drug
from their own trials.
Now, the Lancet and NEJM – both had retracted their published
articles. They said that the articles were written based on the data provided
by Surgisphere Corporation and that the data seems
to be not reliable. Further as Surgisphere is against sharing its data citing its client
confidentiality, it is not opaque with its primary data.
Surgisphere is an American
healthcare analytics company established in 2008 by Sapan Desai. The company
came under scrutiny after it had provided large datasets of COVID-19 patients
that were subsequently found to be unreliable.
A parallel investigation by the British daily The Guardian revealed that several of Surgisphere's employees had little or no data or scientific background;
one employee appeared to be a science fiction author while another, listed as a
marketing executive, was an adult model and events hostess.
The Guardian also found that Surgisphere's LinkedIn page has fewer than 100 followers
and in late May 2020 listed only six employees. It also found that the company
had almost no online presence and that its Twitter account had made no posts from
October 2017 to March 2020.
In this critical Pandemic time, it is really strange how
these two magazines could be so callous that extremely wrong findings were
allowed to be published resulting in stopping administering the drugs which
might have saved many patients!
They should be made answerable and accountable apart from
initiating actions against Surgisphere Corporation.
Now WHO had resumed the use of hydroxychloroquine drug after a panel reviewing
preliminary data from the trial did not find any oblivious evidence of harm to
patients.
India did not follow WHO instructions and had continued the
use of HCD. Though Trump had indicated that HCD is a safe drug to treat
Covid-19, but, the political lobby working against Trump 24 x 7 had prevented
the use of the drug. Perhaps now the situation may change and this HCD drug
will find favour with the doctors, hospitals and
patients in USA and other European countries.
Research is Gold but Peer-Review is King. Hence Medical Journals should tighten up the rules and regulations in
respect of Peer-Review without any bias.
The Hindu had this sub-heading for its editorial about the
above subject:
“The Scientific process must be protected from those seeking
power and riches.”
Yes, Nowadays, Researchers are started Chasing Cash, Fame,
and Publicity - instead it would be better if they chase Honesty, Truth, and
Humility.
Link
for Hindu Editorial:
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