Dr Peter Wilmshurst is a previous recipient of the HealthWatch Award (in 2003) for his courage in challenging misconduct in academic medical research.
He is now being sued for libel and slander by NMT Medical, based in the US, who are the manufacturers of a device (STARFlex).
He was one of two principal co-investigators in a clinical trial to test whether using the STARFlex device to close a hole between the right and left atriums of the heart (patent foramen ovale) would reduce the incidence of migraine, particularly migraine with aura.
The published results of the trial were negative. Dr Wilmshurst, who supported the idea that closing such shunts might affect migraine, later put forward several ideas why the results were negative, with which the company disagreed. He is now being sued in a British court. See the full news story from the BMJ.
HealthWatch offers an Award annually to the person we think has done most to explain why clinical trials, which are usually very valuable, may sometimes be unreliable. One of the reasons is that the researchers may falsify their data. Exposing this bad practice usually requires a whistleblower who thereby puts his own career in peril. In 2003 we honoured Peter Wilmshurst for doing exactly that, and we hope it may have encouraged others to do likewise. He has now done a similar service concerning the device promoted by NMT.
HealthWatch is supporting Peter Wilmshurst, and we are appealing for funds to meet his very considerable legal expenses. All donations will be held as a ring-fenced fund in the HealthWatch accounts.
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