A New Low in Drug Research: 21 Fabricated Studies

According to WSJ.com, Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass., has asked several anesthesiology journals to retract the studies, which appeared between 1996 and 2008, the WSJ reports. The hospital says its former chief of acute pain, Scott S. Reuben, faked data used in the studies.

Some of the studies reported favorable results from use of Pfizer’s Bextra and Merck’s Vioxx, both painkillers that have since been pulled from the market. Others offered good news about Pfizer’s pain drugs Lyrica Celebrex and Wyeth’s antidepressant Effexor XR. Doctors said Reuben’s work was particularly influential in pain treatment and that they were shocked by the news.

Read more on the WSJ.com's health blog.

Pfizer Plans to Disclose Payments Made to Clinical Investigators

According to Clinical Trials Today, Pfizer plans to publicly report payments made to clinical investigators, physicians and other health care professionals by early next year, making it the first pharmaceutical company to commit to disclosing payments it makes for conducting clinical trials, speaking and consulting. It seems that Pfizer wants to aim for transparency of their practices, perhaps providing an easier system of due diligence within the pharmaceutical and CRO/Clinical Trials arenas. What do you think of this move by Pfizer?

India Offers More Education for Clinical Research

Offering a 6 month certificate program in Clinical Research, Bilcare Research Academy in Bengaluru, India will aim to educate more Indians in Clinical Research to further advance their country's rise as a world leader in clinical research. We've reported on India before and we're keeping our finger on the pulse of this nation's advancements. What news do you have to share? What do you think clinical research will be like in 1, 10 or 20 years? We appreciate your input.

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