Phony research earns 1-year suspension

A British cardiologist has been suspended from practice for a year by the UK's General Medical Council (GMC) because he published fraudulent research findings. The offending study, by Dr. Mohammed Naeem Shaukat and colleagues, appeared in the British Medical Journal (BMJ 1997; 314:639-42). It claimed that following a first myocardial infarction, patients of Indian origin were at substantially higher risk of mortality and further coronary events than non-Indians.

A retraction (BMJ 1998;316:116) said examination of the data had revealed inaccuracies, and the paper's conclusions could no longer be supported. This prompted the University of Leicester, where the research was conducted, to send a report to the GMC's Professional Conduct Committee.

Although the offence could have resulted in erasure from the GMC's register, the committee was swayed by testimony that Shaukat is “an able, caring and committed practitioner.” Shaukat, a consultant cardiologist, has not been involved in research since 1997. He has never explained why he falsified the data. — Cathel Kerr, Fife, Scotland