On March 1, 2022, Eric Ross, then a psychiatrist-in-training in Boston, alerted two major publishers to a pair of disturbingly similar papers he suspected had been “fabricated.” Ross listed several “red flags” he felt clearly pointed to “research misconduct” in the two papers, which reported on two separate clinical trials of new antidepressant add-on medications (metformin and cilostazol). He also emphasized that fake medical research could have real consequences.

After six months, Neurotherapeutics pulled one of the studies, stating in a Sept. 7, 2022, notice, “there are serious issues with the ethical oversight, the reporting and the availability of audited data for this clinical trial.” Yet nearly a year after Ross’s email, the paper in CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics remained in place. Now, after two years, the Wiley journal has finally issued a retraction.

The paper has been cited 11 times since Ross first contacted the journal, according to Clarivate’s Web of Science – including by a Hindawi/Wiley journal paper that was since retracted for likely paper mill activity.

Source: https://retractionwatch.com/2024/05/07/give-or-take-a-year-or-two-case-reveals-publishers-vastly-different-retraction-times/

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