[h=1]Retract Antidepressant Drug Trial, Experts Say[/h] Megan Brooks
September 17, 2015 A reanalysis of the now infamous Study 329 of the antidepressant paroxetine (multiple brands) shows that the drug is ineffective and unsafe for adolescents, prompting experts to call for a retraction of the original study.
Study 329 was funded by SmithKline Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline [GSK]) and was published in 2001 in the
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The reanalysis of the
study, reported September 16 in the
BMJ, contradicts the original publication that found that paroxetine was generally safe and effective in treating adolescents with major depression.
"Hundreds of Thousands" Potentially Harmed ...
...
Failed Drug Regulation
In an
accompanying editorial, Peter Doshi, PhD, an associate editor at the
BMJ, says this article "has reignited calls for retraction of the original study and put additional pressure on academic and professional institutions to publicly address the many allegations of wrongdoing."
"Rationally, I can't see how they cannot retract it, but my guess is they won't," Dr Jureidini told
Medscape Medical News.
In a statement,
BMJ Editor-in-Chief Fiona Godlee, MD, said publication of the reanalyzed data from Study 329 "sets the record straight" and "shows the extent to which drug regulation is failing us." It also shows that the public and clinicians do not have the unbiased information they need to make informed decisions...
