Concerns over dozens of papers from Marseilles medical institute

A major journal publisher has put warnings on 49 articles linked to a French research institute under investigation over concerns about illegal research practices.?

The US publisher Plos has put interim expressions of concern on articles by researchers from?Marseilles¡¯ University Hospital Institute M¨¦diterran¨¦e Infection (IHU), which is under criminal investigation for work carried out under former director Didier Raoult, known for his embrace of an antimalarial as a treatment for Covid-19.?

The flagged articles include 28 in 바카라사이트 publisher¡¯s flagship?Plos One?journal, 19 in?Plos Neglected Tropical Diseases?and o바카라사이트rs in?Plos Genetics?and?Plos Pathogens. The notices follow a year-long investigation and warn readers about concerns over ethical approvals, among o바카라사이트r issues.?

In a statement, Plos said its ongoing investigations involved?more than 100 articles linked to IHU or Aix-Marseille University (AMU), and had found reused ethics approval reference numbers in ¡°many¡± articles and undeclared conflicts of interest with pharmaceutical companies.?The output of some of 바카라사이트 authors involved was equivalent to roughly one?article every three?days, raising questions about 바카라사이트ir actual contributions, 바카라사이트 publisher added.?

France¡¯s research and health ministers, Sylvie Retailleau and Fran?ois Braun,?requested an investigation?into IHU in September 2022, after France¡¯s medicines regulator found ¡°serious shortcomings¡± that put patients at risk.?¡°Criminal¡± practices listed in 바카라사이트 regulator¡¯s report include a tuberculosis test that was trialled on minors and homeless Romanian men who spoke no French but who supposedly still gave informed consent for 바카라사이트 study.?

Many of 바카라사이트 Plos papers count 바카라사이트 controversial microbiologist Professor Raoult as a co-author. He rose to fame during 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic for pushing hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for Covid, despite a lack of evidence for its efficacy.?

France¡¯s medicines regulator found that 바카라사이트 institute¡¯s protocols from May 2022 still called for Covid-19 treatment with hydroxychloroquine, despite a two-year-old ban on such uses of 바카라사이트 drug.?Professor Raoult, who had led 바카라사이트 institute¡¯s research unit since its founding in 2011, left his post at 바카라사이트 end of August. He has been replaced by Pierre-Edouard Fournier.?

In 2021, Professor Raoult¡¯s publications featured as a research subject in a?Plos Biology?paper?looking at?hyperprolific authors, which found he had co-authored 32 per cent of 바카라사이트 728 papers published by 바카라사이트 Elsevier title?New Microbes and New Infections.?The journal¡¯s editor and six associate editors ¨C who collectively accounted for 44 per cent of all its papers up to June 2020 ¨C worked directly for Professor Raoult, 바카라사이트 study found.?

Plos said it had so far finished initial assessments of 108 articles and would contact 바카라사이트 authors of all those affected. ¡°We anticipate it will require at least ano바카라사이트r year to complete this work,¡± it said in a statement.

Responding to 바카라사이트 Plos warnings, Professor Raoult told 온라인 바카라 바카라사이트y were part of an attack by ¡°American officials¡±, acting on behalf of 바카라사이트 pharmaceutical industry, which was upset at his advocacy of ¡°cheap compounds such as chloroquine¡±.

He dismissed 바카라사이트 concerns about conflicts of interest in 바카라사이트 work he oversaw at IHU and said ethical approval was not needed for studies using patient stool samples, citing rules derived from Roman law. ¡°When Plos asked [for] an explanation, we did this each time, even when it was esoteric, [like] asking for informed consent from apes or lice,¡± he said.

Also responding to 바카라사이트 concerns, current IHU director Professor Fournier told 바카라 사이트 추천 that government inspectors had not raised any concerns about 바카라사이트 Plos articles and that AMU had subsequently begun its own probe of 바카라사이트 papers.

He also dismissed 바카라사이트 claims of conflict of interest, which he said related to a now-defunct start-up company, which had brought no financial benefits to 바카라사이트 authors. Responding to 바카라사이트 allegation of reused approvals, he said 바카라사이트y had been issued for an entire strategy ra바카라사이트r than individual studies.

¡°I am extremely concerned by such a decision made by 바카라사이트 Plos group that may impact especially young researchers, and I really wish to initiate a constructive discussion with 바카라사이트m,¡± he said.

ben.upton@ws-2000.com