Research ethics need an overhaul: report

A report out this week calls for an overhaul of the way academic research is done in this country, and for an ombudsman to be appointed to oversee everything.

The report, the Montreal Gazette points out, was well underway before the question of academic integrity broke wide open in Canada last summer with a Toronto Star story about the use of ghostwriters by McGill University professor Barbara Sherwin in an academic article about hormone replacement therapy.

A university inquiry into Sherwin is still several months from completion, the schools says, and likely won't be finished until the new year. The school's provost office blames the long investigation on the huge repercussions for whatever it decides and the complexity and rarity of the case itself.

The new report, however, makes the point that academic misconducts are not all that rare -- though Canada is better than many. The drug sector is particularly bad.

Breeches of research integrity are a problem in some parts of the private sector, notably in the pharmaceutical industry. The existence of companies, including some in Canada, that “ghost write” papers for academic researchers is but one visible manifestation of research misconduct in the private sector. These companies craft research papers in support of a particular drug and seek out researchers willing to be listed as authors in exchange for money and other benefits.

The study, The State of Research Integrity and Misconduct Policies in Canada, prepared for the Canadian Research Integrity Committee by consulting firm Hickling Arthurs Low, says ghostwriting is only part of the problem.

The existence of companies, including some in Canada, that 'ghost- write' papers for academic researchers is but one visible manifestation of research misconduct in the private sector. These companies craft research papers in support of a particular drug and seek out researchers willing to be listed as authors in exchange for money and other benefits.

The report also looks at fabrication of data, falsification of data, plagiarism, conflicts of interest and abuse of power or retaliation towards colleagues and assistants. The 29 academic institutions surveyed, which represent about 60 per cent of the research done in Canada, reported investigating about 39 such incidents a year.

The report says that number is probably low.

This estimate should be treated with the appropriate caution given the challenges associated with collecting this information. In addition to research institutions having little incentive to share this information, there is a strong likelihood that misconduct cases go unreported by researchers due to an unwillingness to risk one’s own reputation or sour relationships with colleagues, or simply an unwillingness to engage a process that can lead to frustration and additional work stress. Under-reporting also comes about when allegations are reported but are then ‘swept under the carpet’ at some level of the institution. Anecdotes from interviews conducted for this study attest to all of these instances.

 

Comments

[sandy]

This has been the case with antidepressant drugs. The data the FDA had to judge a drug on was fudged drug trial reports where cherry picked. I read a book by Dr Glenmullen he says the reporting documents for the drug trial of prozac did not have a box to check if the person committed or attempted suicide so these were not reported a real big miss considering now suicidal ideation is one of the black box warnings (the strongest warning that can be put on a drug the next step is to remove it from the market) and a huge problems with all these antidepressants.
This is one class of medication I have a huge problem with they are dangerous causing personalitly changes murderous rampages suicide and these are just the top few problems.
I think it is time these drugs were given a proper evaluation by an independant body and believe they would be removed from the market once the true dangers were evaluated.
The problem is that pharma has such huge influence in science because they bank roll most research so where do you find the people willing to take them on. I have watched case after case of individuals trying to take these pharamcutical companies to court the best we get is an out of court settlement so the truth doesn't make it to the mainstream. Most lawyers will not even look at a case or that seems to be the truth in Canada there are few ongoing in the states.
It is high time we had an investigation as people are dying for answers.
Terrance Young is an MP from Oakville if you are concerned about unsafe drugs in Canada or want to learn about them look him on on the net.

[Syd Snow]

Suppressed Medical Records

St. Catharines, Ont.

- Privacy Commissioner of Canada (Sect. 25,26,28)

- C.M.H.A - Brock University