Benet says it would not have been in the company's best interests to sue, but when the university refused to back the researchers, they had little choice but to withdraw the paper. Meanwhile, scientists at Boots published their own analysis of the study data in a new journal called American Journal of Therapeutics , where senior author Gilbert Mayor was an associate editor. Boots representatives told Science they offered to include Dong and her colleagues as co-authors, but the researchers declined. Dong says she does not recall such an offer. After the ensuing media storm, Knoll Pharmaceuticals of Mount Olive, New Jersey, which bought Boots in 1995, agreed to let JAMA publish the paper.
Experts say the study is unlikely to be the final word on treatment.
We've learned that these things really can happen. JAMA 's Rennie, who wrote an editorial accompanying the paper, agrees. Volume 276, Number 5312 Issue of 25 Apr 1997, pp.