Scott Reuben
Posted on 03/10/2009 7:38:38 PM PDT by grandpa jones
Over the past 12 years, anesthesiologist Scott Reuben revolutionized the way physicians provide pain relief to patients undergoing orthopedic surgery for everything from torn ligaments to worn-out hips. Now, the profession is in shambles after an investigation revealed that at least 21 of Reuben’s papers were pure fiction, and that the pain drugs he touted in them may have slowed postoperative healing.
“We are talking about millions of patients worldwide, where postoperative pain management has been affected by the research findings of Dr. Reuben,” says Steven Shafer, editor in chief of the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia, which published 10 of Reuben’s fraudulent papers.
It seems to be a sign of the times that red flags have been continuously ignored for years in many fields of commerce.
Most folks I’ve talked to say the COX2 stuff really worked.
They miss them.
Hey, radiation treatment ain’t that bad if you have a doobie.
Scott Reuben
In addition to allegedly falsifying data, Dr. Reuben seems to have committed publishing forgery. Evan Ekman, MD, an orthopedic surgeon in Columbia, S.C., said his name appeared as a co-author on at least two of the retracted papers, despite his having had no hand in the manuscripts. “My names were forgeries on the documents,” Dr. Ekman told Anesthesiology News.
Schmuck!
Guilty
“Dr. Reuben deeply regrets that this happened,” said the doctor’s attorney, Ingrid Martin. “Dr. Reuben cooperated fully with the peer review committee. There were extenuating circumstances that the committee fairly and justly considered.” She declined to explain the extenuating circumstances. Dr. Reuben didn’t respond to requests for comment sent through Ms. Martin and left at his former office.
Dr. Reuben had been a paid speaker on behalf of Pfizer’s medicines, and it paid for some of his research. “It is very disappointing to learn about Dr. Scott Reuben’s alleged actions,” Pfizer said in a statement. “When we decided to support Dr. Reuben’s research, he worked for a credible academic medical center and appeared to be a reputable investigator.”
Hal Jenson, the chief academic officer at Baystate Medical, said a routine audit last spring flagged discrepancies in Dr. Reuben’s work. That led to a larger investigation in which Dr. Reuben cooperated, Dr. Jenson said. “The conclusions are not in dispute,” he added.
Dr. Reuben is on an indefinite leave from his post at Baystate, the hospital said. He no longer holds an appointment as a professor at Tufts University’s medical school, according to the university.
Could be a doofus.
Vioxx worked. Take it from someone who knows. Me. Too bad it had such a bad effect on blood pressure. :-(
I know. My wife misses it
http://psyweb.com/Drughtm/jsp/versed.jsp carries a warning for versed I don't recall seeing before.
Could be related to this particular problem.
I took celebrex for a short time to get acute pain under control while working to fix the problem long-term through physical therapy. It was a lifesaver.
Like you, I also know people who can get relief from nothing else.
That’s good for you, but it killed my 54 year old Aunt. Her kids miss her.
Who are the MD's on Free Republic? I have a hunch they'll find this interesting.
Cheers!
My mother asked him for a prescription for Valium before it was known to be addictive. She not only didn't get the Rx, she got a sermon about taking it. That one he was right about.
Doesn't the medical industry use back-up studys with experiments repeated by different researchers?
Most other scientific fields do this.
Perhaps that why medicine is an “art”....:^)
Doctor's Pain Studies Were Fabricated, Hospital Says
by Gardiner Harris
Published: March 10, 2009
Correction Appended
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