GSK Research Work Based on China Data Retracted
December 9th, 2013 // 3:11 pm @ jmpickett
GSK stated this week that Nature Magazine has retracted one of its articles that had improper and misleading data that was tied to GSK’s research work in China.
GSK recommended that the article be withdrawn, which was published three years ago. It conducted an investigation that found that much of the data in the article was misrepresented. Five of the authors of the report, including the manager leading Chinese R&D, resigned or were let go after the probe.
The paper in question is based upon early stage research at the company’s research center in Shanghai. It did not involve patients. The name of the article is Crucial Role of Interleukin 7 in T Helper Type 17 Survival and Expansion in Autoimmune Diseases. It improperly labeled healthy human cells as those that had come from patients with multiple sclerosis.
A review of the scientific data determined that two other unpublished articles that were done by the same research group had misrepresentation of data that was probably on purpose.
GSK stated that there are opportunities for the firm to strengthen its culture and processes related to data management. It added that the recommendations of the review team are being fully implemented into the company’s data structure.
This probe of faulty research is not related to the investigation by the Chinese government of allegations that GSK was bribing doctors, hospitals and government officials.
