Hospital Chief of Acute Pain Fabricated Medical Studies on Lyrica
It is tragic the lengths medical professionals will go to to continue receiving funding from big pharmaceutical companies. This story demonstrates the corruption in the medical community which stems from pharmaceutical companies having too much influence and political power. Of course it was the unethical practice of Dr. Reuben that is featured in this story, but he is just a symptom of a much larger problem – not that I am excusing his behavior in any way.
Here is the article from the Wall Street Journal’s Health Blog.
By Sarah Rubenstein
We’ve followed plenty of controversies around drug trials, from ghostwriting to keeping quiet about unflattering results. But the latest news is particularly eye-popping: A prominent Massachusetts anesthesiologist allegedly fabricated 21 medical studies involving major drugs. Yikes.
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 and 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.
“We are left with a large hole in our understanding of this field,” Steven Shafer, editor-in-chief of Anesthesia and Analgesia, told Anesthesiology News, which first reported on the retractions. “There are substantial tendrils from this body of work that reach throughout the discipline of postoperative pain management.”
Pfizer had funded some of Reuben’s research and had also paid him to speak on behalf of its medicines. “It is very disappointing to learn about Dr. Scott Reuben’s alleged actions,” Pfizer said in a statement to WSJ. “When we decided to support Dr. Reuben’s research, he worked for a credible academic medical center and appeared to be a reputable investigator.”
Wyeth said it wasn’t aware of any financial relationship between the company and Reuben. Merck had no immediate comment.
As for Baystate, it said a routine audit last spring was what flagged issues with Reuben’s work. Reuben, who is on indefinite leave, didn’t respond to the WSJ’s requests for comment. But his attorney said Reuben “deeply regrets that this happened.” The attorney also referred to “extenuating circumstances,” but didn’t elaborate on what they were.
Take a look at Reuben’s work here.
Photo: Associated Press
Does this concern any of you out there that are currently taking Lyrica or one of the other drugs mentioned in this article? I am concerned. If this story interests you, I recommend you take the time to click on the link above and read all of the comments to this post. They are very interesting.
I take lyrica..I cannot understand these articles? what does it say about lyrica?
Wow, what an article. Sad that a doctor would do this, esp. after taking an oath to “Do no harm.” He should get his license revoked.
I posted about this tonight as well, and then saw your post
Great minds think alike!
What an insane breach of trust!! It really sickens me. And I don’t think 10 years in prison is enough when this Dr. played Russian roulette with THOUSANDS of lives. A sorry and giving the grant money back doesn’t undo the potential damage.
I have been very resistant to try Lyrica as it has been available for a shorter period of time in Canada, and I have heard so many conflicting things about it. My Doctors have urged me to try it, but I am on so many other meds, I have not been comfortable doing so….. And this just validates my stance on the subject. I will be printing off all the documents I have found and taking them in to my next appointment.
Hope you are well today.
Hugs!
Jolene
What the article says is that Dr Reuben fabricated the results of various drug studies (including Lyrica) in the favor of the drug companies in order to continue receiving funding from big pharma.
This has many far reaching implications, including into the FM community, especially with the current controversy surrounding FM (Letter to the AP from the National Fibromyalgia Association).
Here is a great response by a commenter on the original article that explains the issue more clearly than I have:
“Conflicts of interest undermine public trust in and support for scientific research, endangers research subjects and patients, and boosts medical costs by encouraging physicians and patients to use new treatments that are no better than cheaper alternatives. Collaborations between academia and industry has clearly brought discernible influence on clinicians, bringing with it erroneous results, suppressed data, or harmful side effects from these drugs. The sophistication, greed and political influence of big pharma has gotten way out of control.”
It does not necessarily mean that Lyrica is not/will not work for you Denise. Many other legitimate studies have been done on Lyrica, but Dr Rueben’s unethical research has added to the existing controversy and is a clear sign of a much larger problem in healthcare.