Elsevier To Investigate Medical Journal Articles Allegedly Ghostwritten By Wyeth

Main Category: Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry
Also Included In: Litigation / Medical Malpractice
Article Date: 23 Dec 2008 - 3:00 PST

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Elsevier officials on Friday announced plans to investigate recent allegations by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) that one of the medical journals published by the company included an article improperly ghostwritten by Wyeth to promote the hormone replacement therapy Prempro, the New York Times reports.

Earlier this month, Grassley alleged that Wyeth commissioned articles to promote Prempro and other products and had them ghostwritten by DesignWrite, a medical communications company. Wyeth selected physicians to appear as the authors of the articles after DesignWrite had written them, according to Grassley. One of the articles appeared as the May 2003 "Editors' Choice" feature in the May 2003 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, which Elsevier publishes. John Eden, an associate professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia and director of the Sydney Menopause Center, appeared as the author of the article, which stated that "no definitive evidence" linked HRT with increased risk for breast cancer despite the release of a 2002 federal Women's Health Initiative study that found such a connection.

In a statement, Glen Campbell, senior vice president for the U.S. Health Sciences Journals division of Elsevier, said, "The charges made by Senator Grassley's office with regard to the article published in 2003 by Dr. Eden are a significant concern" to the journal and Elsevier. He added, "As with any charge of misconduct or inappropriate publishing acts," the journal has "launched its own investigation into the claims of ghostwriting and undisclosed financial support."

Wyeth officials in a statement said that the company did not pay the academic authors of the articles and that the authors had "substantive editorial control" of the articles.

In a statement, Grassley said that he supports the investigation by Elsevier and will continue his investigation of the issue (Wilson, New York Times, 12/20).

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