http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health/story.jsp?story=99650

 

Doctors in new drive to combat fraudulent research

By Jeremy Laurance Health Editor

16 October 2001

A national panel to combat scientific fraud was proposed by leading doctors yesterday after detected cases soared to 100 in the past four years. Unethical treatment, failure to obtain consent and fabricated results emerge regularly in scientific research but there is no formal system for detecting or dealing with them, doctors said.

Members of the Committee for Publication Ethics, set up by the editors of leading medical journals, stepped up their campaign yesterday for a national body with powers to tackle fraud. The United States andScandinavia have had such agencies for a decade

Last July, Dr Paul Chima, a GP in West Lothian, was struck off the medical register July for trying to get cash from a pharmaceutical company for a phoney drug trial. The GMC heard he had offered one patient a bribe of £2,000 not to report him to the authorities.

Again last year, Anjan Kumar Banerjee was found guilty by the General Medical Council of falsifying his research into Crohn's disease at King's College Hospital in 1990. He had fabricated test results for 12 "subjects" by substituting his urine for theirs.

At least six cases involving research fraud await hearings before the GMC but doctors fear many more go undetected because of the absence of a verifying system, or even expectation of investigation.

Professor Sir George Alberti, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said: "The situation is shambolic. There is a tendency to hush things up ... and there is a major deficit in training in good practice. We need a panel that must be independent and have real stature. This is absolutely critical."

The powers of the panel have not been worked out.

Search this site:

Have a question? Ask Jeeves!

Today's main headlines ·                   Anthrax fear grows as 33 Senate staff test positive ·                   US planes blaze path for Alliance to take city ·                   Hopes of peace are threatened by murder of Israeli minister ·                   Planet terror: A rundown of the world's terrorist groups ·                   British ground forces set for next phase of attack ·                   'Saudi connection' puts new strain on alliance ·                   Robert Fisk: Watching the war from Kabul's rooftops Argument ·                   Leading article: Killing shows why the Middle East peace process must be rejoined ·                   Timothy Garden: Air strikes will not win this war - so let's send in the ground troops ·                   Donald Macintyre: Will Mr Blair's party panic when it comes under fire? Special reports ·                   Part I: 11 Sep to 6 Oct ·                   Part II: from 7 Oct ·                   Today's full coverage

 

 

 

 

ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE.  THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.