ISTOCK, MISSRUTAThree papers should be retracted for misrepresenting the effects of a widely used medicine for high blood pressure and heart failure, according to a university investigation—but the authors are fighting back.
The report, released March 23 by Nagoya University, is part of an ongoing fallout from a major scandal involving research at Japanese universities into the cardiovascular drug valsartan (Diovan). Already, at least six papers have been retracted and one coauthor has faced criminal charges.
The university has concluded that the researchers did not commit misconduct, but that the three papers related to the Diovan project had some issues with how the patients were classified, which could impact the results. Once the study was re-examined by independent investigators, the conclusions about Diovan’s benefits were called into question.
According to a coauthor of the papers, Toyoaki Murohara of Nagoya University, the researchers have hired lawyers to protest the university’s decision. “Our Institute suggested us to retract our ...
