The End of Scientific Integrity? Cochrane Collaboration Expels Critic of Big Pharma – 4 Other Board Members Resign

Dr. Peter Gøtzsche recently sent out an email to the public explaining that he is the first person in 25 years to be expelled from the Cochrane Collaboration. He writes: "No clear reasoned justification has been given for my expulsion aside from accusing me of causing 'disrepute' for the organization. This is the first time in 25 years that a member has been excluded from membership of Cochrane." Four other board members have resigned from the Cochrane Collaboration as a result of this action. Health Impact News has covered the work of Dr. Gøtzsche frequently over the years, as he is an outspoken critic of Big Pharma, referring to them as "organized crime." He is author of the book, "Deadly Medicines and Organized Crime: How big pharma has corrupted healthcare." The Cochrane Collaboration is considered to be the "gold standard" in scientific integrity, but they have come under fire recently for what appears to be biased reviews influenced by the pharmaceutical industry. They received a $1.15 million "gift" from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fund "project work" from 2016 to 2017. Earlier this year (2018), researchers from the Nordic Cochrane Centre published a critique in the British Medical Journal stating that the Cochrane’s review of the HPV vaccine "does not meet the standards for Cochrane reviews or the needs of the citizens or healthcare providers that consult Cochrane reviews to make informed decisions."