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New England Journal of Medicine Editors Sacrifice Standards to Defend an Unethical Clinical Trial

Oct. 1, 2015


New England Journal of Medicine Editors Sacrifice Standards to Defend an Unethical Clinical Trial

In his October “Outrage of the Month” blog post, Dr. Michael Carome, director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, details how the editors of the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) have sacrificed standards to defend an unethical clinical trial.

Since 2013, NEJM Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Drazen and his senior editors have published a series of pieces that provide a misleading and unbalanced assessment of the unethical SUPPORT trial, which involved more than 1,300 premature infants. The latest development came in early September, when the editors published a flawed commentary that grossly misrepresented the meaning of a decision in a lawsuit related to SUPPORT.

“The decision by Drazen and his senior editors to publish that commentary — as part of their continued effort to defend SUPPORT — tarnishes the reputation of the NEJM,” said Carome.

Read the full blog post.

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