Prestigious medical journal 'The Lancet'  has retracted their paper that halted global trials of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19. The paper had linked hydroxychloroquine, the antimalarial drug, with an increased death rate in coronavirus patients taking it.

The lead author, Prof. Mandeep Mehra, decided to ask the Lancet for the retraction because he could no longer vouch for the data’s accuracy. The publication’s editor, Richard Horton, said he was stunned by these developments.

The Lancet is an acclaimed independent, international weekly medical journal. It was founded in 1823 by English surgeon Thomas Wakley. It publishes research papers, randomized controlled trials, reviews, seminars, and more. It has published more than 10,000 issues.

The Lancet announced their decision in these words, noting that the retraction wasn’t unanimous:

"..Today, three of the authors of the paper, “Hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine with or without a macrolide for treatment of COVID-19: a multinational registry analysis”, have retracted their study. They were unable to complete an independent audit of the data underpinning their analysis. As a result, they have concluded that they “can no longer vouch for the veracity of the primary data sources.” The Lancet takes issues of scientific integrity extremely seriously, and there are many outstanding questions about Surgisphere and the data that were allegedly included in this study. Following guidelines from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), institutional reviews of Surgisphere’s research collaborations are urgently needed.."

https://twitter.com/TheLancet/status/1268613313702891523?s=19

The Lancet study about HCQ had a significant impact on attempts to find out whether the antimalarial drug could help treat patients with Covid-19. In light of this study, the World Health Organization and several countries had suspended the Solidarity Trial that was set up to find an answer.

After retraction of the paper, trials have now been restarted. Many scientists were livid that they had been interrupted on the basis of a trial that was observational and not a “gold standard” randomized controlled trial. This episode has damaged the journal's credibility dearly.

https://www.facebook.com/154163327962392/posts/3207262112652483/?sfnsn=scwspmo&extid=Zti17ER5ysz2HT6o&d=n&vh=e