- Email: [email protected]
Chronic diseases—the social justice issue of our time
Correspondence
Published Online February 22, 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ S0140-6736(16)00520-1
Tracheobronchial transplantation: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ concerns On behalf of The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, we wish to express our concerns regarding a paper by Philipp Jungebluth and colleagues, “Tracheobronchial transplantation with a stem-cell-seeded bioartificial nanocomposite: a proof-of-concept study”, 1 which was published in The Lancet on Dec 10, 2011. Available information shows that the paper does not present the condition of the patient in a correct way.2 It is evident from biopsies and bronchoscopy data that epithelialisation of the graft was incomplete, that the patient suffered serious complications, and that he eventually died. 3–8 The published report1 states that ”there were no major complications, and the patient was asymptomatic and tumour free 5 months after transplantation”. According to an independent expert, Professor Bengt Gerdin (Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden), who evaluated the paper in an investigation into possible scientific misconduct by its senior author Professor Paolo Macchiarini, this is a severe misrepresentation of the hospital records describing the patient’s condition after the operation.6 Contrary to the advice of the independent expert, the Vice-Chancellor of Karolinska Institutet (KI; Stockholm, Sweden) concluded that the Lancet report, as well as another one by the same team evaluated at the same time, could not qualify as scientific misconduct, although its main author “did act without due care”9 on some points. New information made available through Swedish TV and other sources has forced Vice-Chancellor Anders Hamsten to reassess the case. In an article in Sweden’s major daily newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, Hamsten
942
wrote, “There is much to indicate that the judgement reached by KI last summer should be amended to scientific misconduct, which in plain language means research fraud.”8 The case regarding scientific misconduct will now be opened again. Additionally, the public prosecutor has initiated an investigation, the Vice-Chancellor has resigned, the Boards of KI and Karolinska University Hospital have appointed special investigators to evaluate the handling of the case, and the Prime Minister of Sweden has demanded a complete investigation of all its aspects. While we are awaiting the results of the new investigations, it is important that the readers of The Lancet can obtain a balanced view of the 2011 report and the case it describes. We declare no competing interests.
Lena Claesson-Welsh, *Göran K Hansson, on behalf of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences [email protected] The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, PO Box 50005, SE-10405 Stockholm, Sweden, (LC-W, GKH); Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden (LC-W) 1
2
3
4
5
6
Jungebluth P, Alici E, Baiguera S, et al. Tracheobronchial transplantation with a stem-cell-seeded bioartificial nanocomposite: a proof-of-concept study. Lancet 2011; 378: 1997–2004. Claesson-Welsh L, Hansson GK. Press release. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences takes action against scientific misconduct. Feb 11, 2016. http://www.kva.se/en/pressroom/2016/ vetenskapsakademien-kommenterar/ (accessed Feb 19, 2016). Do the articles of Paolo Macchiarini reflect reality? Example #1: The one-week sample. Sveriges Television AB. http://www.svtplay.se/ klipp/6465549/do-the-articlesof-paolomacchiarini-reflectreality-example-1-the-1weeksample (accessed Feb 19, 2016). Do the articles of Paolo Macchiarini reflect reality? Example #2: The 2-month sample. Sveriges Television AB. http://www.svtplay.se/ klipp/6465585/do-the-articlesof-paolomacchiarini-reflectreality-example-2-the-2monthsample (accessed Feb 19, 2016). Do the articles of Paolo Macchiarini reflect reality? Example #3: The 8-month sample. Sveriges Television AB. http://www.svtplay.se/ klipp/6465765/do-the-articlesof-paolomacchiarini-reflectreality-example-3-the-8monthsample (accessed Feb 19, 2016). Gerdin B. Särskilt yttrande i ärende Dnr: 2-2184/2014. http://ki.se/sites/default/files/ externa_granskarens_slutliga_rapport.pdf (accessed Feb 19, 2016).
7
8
9
Corbascio M, Fux T, Grinnemo K-H, Simonson O. The Macchiarini-case: Read the whistleblowers own words. Sjukhusläkaren. Feb 6, 2016. http://www.sjukhuslakaren.se/the-macchiarinicase-read-the-whistleblowers-own-words/ (accessed Feb 19, 2016). Hamsten A. ”I resign from my position as vice-chancellor of Karolinska Institutet”. Dagens Nyheter. Feb 13, 2016. http://www.dn. se/debatt/i-resign-from-my-position-as-vicechancellor-of-karolinska-institutet/ (accessed Feb 19, 2016). Keisu C. Visiting Professor at Karolinska Institutet cleared from suspicions of scientific misconduct. Karolinska Institutet News. Oct 8, 2015. http://ki.se/en/news/visiting-professorat-karolinska-institutet-cleared-fromsuspicions-of-scientific-misconduct (accessed Feb 19, 2016).
Chronic diseases—the social justice issue of our time Richard Horton (Dec 12, p 2378)1 makes a much needed critique of the non-communicable disease (NCD) movement, or rather, the absence thereof. How much does this stagnation have to do with the power of the “legal (if not loved) multinational corporations”? And how much does the power of Big Alcohol have to do with the complete absence of an adequate focus on alcohol in the NCD arena, including Richard Horton’s critique? Alcohol contributes 5·9% to deaths globally. 2 Of alcohol-attributable mortality, 33% is attributable to cardiovascular disease and diabetes, 12% is attributable to cancer, 16% to gastrointestinal disease, and 12% to neonatal disorders.2 Yet Richard Horton’s list of example risk factors is tobacco, diet, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, and air pollution. The NCD movement must provide a clear critique of the role the food and alcohol industry as well as the tobacco industry have in the NCD crisis. Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals states the need to “strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks”. These industries, with their effects on people’s www.thelancet.com Vol 387 March 5, 2016
Correspondence
I declare no competing interests.
Sally Casswell [email protected] College of Health, Massey University, Auckland 1141, New Zealand 1 2
Horton R. Offline: Chronic diseases—the social justice issue of our time. Lancet 2015; 386: 2378. WHO. Global status report on alcohol and health 2014. May 12, 2014. http://apps.who. int/iris/bitstream/10665/112736/ 1/9789240692763_eng.pdf (accessed Dec 15, 2015).
With his recent commentary, Richard Horton (Dec 12, p 2378)1 created a much-needed jolt in the non-communicable disease (NCD) community. We agree with many of the points Richard Horton raised. NCDs are complex, and fighting them is our generation’s greatest challenge. That same complexity demands that progress be at a less than blistering pace. And yes, let us acknowledge that we in the NCD community are too polite and not impatient enough. We talk incessantly to each other—at conferences, WHO meetings, and UN side-events—and are not pulling the rest of the world community along. We have not figured out how to tell compelling stories of strapping 25-year-old people who get cancer, of women who have quit their jobs to care for a mother-in-law with heart disease, of a poor family going deeper into the abyss of poverty because of one person’s diabetes, of a woman hunched over an open cook-stove inhaling fumes that increase her risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; heart-rending stories of people fighting the stigma of mental disease—stories that should move hearts and minds. www.thelancet.com Vol 387 March 5, 2016
We take this criticism in the right spirit and are determined to learn from those who mobilised the world around HIV/AIDS, maternal, newborn, and child health, and climate change. And we are going to be impolite—yes, that we are. But semi-comatose, that we are not. People in the NCD community are passionate, determined, hard-working, and collaborative. Some people are inspiring and true leaders. Some people work on persuading governments to make change, others highlight the effect of NCDs on women, whereas others focus on young people. Some people work on proving that workplace wellness is sound business. All of us do soul-stirring work, and we object to being labelled semi-comatose. Can Richard Horton take that word back? Several things give us hope. First, we think the 25 × 25 goal that WHO pulled all countries—some kicking and screaming—into agreeing to, in 2012, is bold. It is up to the NCD community to hold the countries accountable and make sure they deliver. Second, nonprofits organisations are taking on huge efforts. For instance, Arogya World has completed a 1-million-person diabetes prevention text messaging campaign in India and shown a 15% improvement in health behaviours. The organisation has developed a chronic disease prevention mobile app for working Indians. mHealth is promising, given its broad reach, and once the evidence builds, population-level prevention with government engagement might be the silver bullet. Third, the private sector is at last joining in—in a sensible way. Kudos to Novartis for its Access initiative,2 through which the company will make 15 widely used NCD treatments available at US$1 per month per person—affordable, sustainable, and worthy of emulation. Fourth, financing is the big challenge, but some progress has been made in the development of sustainable ways to pay for the monumental NCD burden. Taxes on tobacco and sugar-sweetened beverages and the implementation of universal health coverage are key. The
tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in Mexico, encouraged by the Latin American NCD community,3 shows promising results. Finally, going forward, cities and workplaces are smart ways to channel our energy. It is great to see some momentum building around this approach, and we welcome the International Diabetes Federation’s diabetes prevention score for cities. NCDs have grown to be the century’s defining health and development challenge on our watch. Our generation’s responsibility is to respond sensibly and creatively to the NCD crisis. We, the NCD community, with organisations big and small, are determined, in ways polite and impolite, to bring the international response to the NCD crisis in line with the scale of the problem. And we are determined to do our bit to ensure that the world we get is the world we want. We declare no competing interests.
*Nalini Saligram, Rachel Nugent [email protected] Arogya World, Naperville, IL 60540, USA (NS); and University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA (RN) 1
2
3
Horton R. Offline: Chronic diseases—the social justice issue of our time. Lancet 2015; 386: 2378. Novartis. Novartis launches ‘Novartis Access’, a portfolio of affordable medicines to treat chronic diseases in lower-income countries. Sept 24, 2015. https://www.novartis.com/ news/media-releases/novartis-launchesnovartis-access-portfolio-affordable-medicinestreat-chronic (accessed Jan 26, 2016). Colchero MA, Popkin BM, Rivera JA, Ng SW. Beverage purchases from stores in Mexico under the excise tax on sugar sweetened beverages: observational study. BMJ 2016; 352: h6704.
PEPFAR: is 90-90-90 magical thinking? The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) 3.0 has embarked on an important refocusing to achieve epidemic control through 90-90-90 (90% of HIV-positive individuals knowing their status, 90% of those receiving antiretroviral therapy, and 90% of those achieving viral suppression).1,2 Despite good intentions, the implementation is creating
Rick D’Elia/Corbis
daily lives and their subversion of efforts to regulate their activity, are a global health risk and, rather than being represented as partners in the NCD arena, their conflict of interest needs to be recognised: their accountability is to shareholders’ profits. Acknowledgment and action is part of the electric shock the NCD movement needs.
943
Published Online February 22, 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ S0140-6736(16)00520-1
Tracheobronchial transplantation: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ concerns On behalf of The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, we wish to express our concerns regarding a paper by Philipp Jungebluth and colleagues, “Tracheobronchial transplantation with a stem-cell-seeded bioartificial nanocomposite: a proof-of-concept study”, 1 which was published in The Lancet on Dec 10, 2011. Available information shows that the paper does not present the condition of the patient in a correct way.2 It is evident from biopsies and bronchoscopy data that epithelialisation of the graft was incomplete, that the patient suffered serious complications, and that he eventually died. 3–8 The published report1 states that ”there were no major complications, and the patient was asymptomatic and tumour free 5 months after transplantation”. According to an independent expert, Professor Bengt Gerdin (Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden), who evaluated the paper in an investigation into possible scientific misconduct by its senior author Professor Paolo Macchiarini, this is a severe misrepresentation of the hospital records describing the patient’s condition after the operation.6 Contrary to the advice of the independent expert, the Vice-Chancellor of Karolinska Institutet (KI; Stockholm, Sweden) concluded that the Lancet report, as well as another one by the same team evaluated at the same time, could not qualify as scientific misconduct, although its main author “did act without due care”9 on some points. New information made available through Swedish TV and other sources has forced Vice-Chancellor Anders Hamsten to reassess the case. In an article in Sweden’s major daily newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, Hamsten
942
wrote, “There is much to indicate that the judgement reached by KI last summer should be amended to scientific misconduct, which in plain language means research fraud.”8 The case regarding scientific misconduct will now be opened again. Additionally, the public prosecutor has initiated an investigation, the Vice-Chancellor has resigned, the Boards of KI and Karolinska University Hospital have appointed special investigators to evaluate the handling of the case, and the Prime Minister of Sweden has demanded a complete investigation of all its aspects. While we are awaiting the results of the new investigations, it is important that the readers of The Lancet can obtain a balanced view of the 2011 report and the case it describes. We declare no competing interests.
Lena Claesson-Welsh, *Göran K Hansson, on behalf of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences [email protected] The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, PO Box 50005, SE-10405 Stockholm, Sweden, (LC-W, GKH); Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden (LC-W) 1
2
3
4
5
6
Jungebluth P, Alici E, Baiguera S, et al. Tracheobronchial transplantation with a stem-cell-seeded bioartificial nanocomposite: a proof-of-concept study. Lancet 2011; 378: 1997–2004. Claesson-Welsh L, Hansson GK. Press release. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences takes action against scientific misconduct. Feb 11, 2016. http://www.kva.se/en/pressroom/2016/ vetenskapsakademien-kommenterar/ (accessed Feb 19, 2016). Do the articles of Paolo Macchiarini reflect reality? Example #1: The one-week sample. Sveriges Television AB. http://www.svtplay.se/ klipp/6465549/do-the-articlesof-paolomacchiarini-reflectreality-example-1-the-1weeksample (accessed Feb 19, 2016). Do the articles of Paolo Macchiarini reflect reality? Example #2: The 2-month sample. Sveriges Television AB. http://www.svtplay.se/ klipp/6465585/do-the-articlesof-paolomacchiarini-reflectreality-example-2-the-2monthsample (accessed Feb 19, 2016). Do the articles of Paolo Macchiarini reflect reality? Example #3: The 8-month sample. Sveriges Television AB. http://www.svtplay.se/ klipp/6465765/do-the-articlesof-paolomacchiarini-reflectreality-example-3-the-8monthsample (accessed Feb 19, 2016). Gerdin B. Särskilt yttrande i ärende Dnr: 2-2184/2014. http://ki.se/sites/default/files/ externa_granskarens_slutliga_rapport.pdf (accessed Feb 19, 2016).
7
8
9
Corbascio M, Fux T, Grinnemo K-H, Simonson O. The Macchiarini-case: Read the whistleblowers own words. Sjukhusläkaren. Feb 6, 2016. http://www.sjukhuslakaren.se/the-macchiarinicase-read-the-whistleblowers-own-words/ (accessed Feb 19, 2016). Hamsten A. ”I resign from my position as vice-chancellor of Karolinska Institutet”. Dagens Nyheter. Feb 13, 2016. http://www.dn. se/debatt/i-resign-from-my-position-as-vicechancellor-of-karolinska-institutet/ (accessed Feb 19, 2016). Keisu C. Visiting Professor at Karolinska Institutet cleared from suspicions of scientific misconduct. Karolinska Institutet News. Oct 8, 2015. http://ki.se/en/news/visiting-professorat-karolinska-institutet-cleared-fromsuspicions-of-scientific-misconduct (accessed Feb 19, 2016).
Chronic diseases—the social justice issue of our time Richard Horton (Dec 12, p 2378)1 makes a much needed critique of the non-communicable disease (NCD) movement, or rather, the absence thereof. How much does this stagnation have to do with the power of the “legal (if not loved) multinational corporations”? And how much does the power of Big Alcohol have to do with the complete absence of an adequate focus on alcohol in the NCD arena, including Richard Horton’s critique? Alcohol contributes 5·9% to deaths globally. 2 Of alcohol-attributable mortality, 33% is attributable to cardiovascular disease and diabetes, 12% is attributable to cancer, 16% to gastrointestinal disease, and 12% to neonatal disorders.2 Yet Richard Horton’s list of example risk factors is tobacco, diet, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, and air pollution. The NCD movement must provide a clear critique of the role the food and alcohol industry as well as the tobacco industry have in the NCD crisis. Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals states the need to “strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks”. These industries, with their effects on people’s www.thelancet.com Vol 387 March 5, 2016
Correspondence
I declare no competing interests.
Sally Casswell [email protected] College of Health, Massey University, Auckland 1141, New Zealand 1 2
Horton R. Offline: Chronic diseases—the social justice issue of our time. Lancet 2015; 386: 2378. WHO. Global status report on alcohol and health 2014. May 12, 2014. http://apps.who. int/iris/bitstream/10665/112736/ 1/9789240692763_eng.pdf (accessed Dec 15, 2015).
With his recent commentary, Richard Horton (Dec 12, p 2378)1 created a much-needed jolt in the non-communicable disease (NCD) community. We agree with many of the points Richard Horton raised. NCDs are complex, and fighting them is our generation’s greatest challenge. That same complexity demands that progress be at a less than blistering pace. And yes, let us acknowledge that we in the NCD community are too polite and not impatient enough. We talk incessantly to each other—at conferences, WHO meetings, and UN side-events—and are not pulling the rest of the world community along. We have not figured out how to tell compelling stories of strapping 25-year-old people who get cancer, of women who have quit their jobs to care for a mother-in-law with heart disease, of a poor family going deeper into the abyss of poverty because of one person’s diabetes, of a woman hunched over an open cook-stove inhaling fumes that increase her risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; heart-rending stories of people fighting the stigma of mental disease—stories that should move hearts and minds. www.thelancet.com Vol 387 March 5, 2016
We take this criticism in the right spirit and are determined to learn from those who mobilised the world around HIV/AIDS, maternal, newborn, and child health, and climate change. And we are going to be impolite—yes, that we are. But semi-comatose, that we are not. People in the NCD community are passionate, determined, hard-working, and collaborative. Some people are inspiring and true leaders. Some people work on persuading governments to make change, others highlight the effect of NCDs on women, whereas others focus on young people. Some people work on proving that workplace wellness is sound business. All of us do soul-stirring work, and we object to being labelled semi-comatose. Can Richard Horton take that word back? Several things give us hope. First, we think the 25 × 25 goal that WHO pulled all countries—some kicking and screaming—into agreeing to, in 2012, is bold. It is up to the NCD community to hold the countries accountable and make sure they deliver. Second, nonprofits organisations are taking on huge efforts. For instance, Arogya World has completed a 1-million-person diabetes prevention text messaging campaign in India and shown a 15% improvement in health behaviours. The organisation has developed a chronic disease prevention mobile app for working Indians. mHealth is promising, given its broad reach, and once the evidence builds, population-level prevention with government engagement might be the silver bullet. Third, the private sector is at last joining in—in a sensible way. Kudos to Novartis for its Access initiative,2 through which the company will make 15 widely used NCD treatments available at US$1 per month per person—affordable, sustainable, and worthy of emulation. Fourth, financing is the big challenge, but some progress has been made in the development of sustainable ways to pay for the monumental NCD burden. Taxes on tobacco and sugar-sweetened beverages and the implementation of universal health coverage are key. The
tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in Mexico, encouraged by the Latin American NCD community,3 shows promising results. Finally, going forward, cities and workplaces are smart ways to channel our energy. It is great to see some momentum building around this approach, and we welcome the International Diabetes Federation’s diabetes prevention score for cities. NCDs have grown to be the century’s defining health and development challenge on our watch. Our generation’s responsibility is to respond sensibly and creatively to the NCD crisis. We, the NCD community, with organisations big and small, are determined, in ways polite and impolite, to bring the international response to the NCD crisis in line with the scale of the problem. And we are determined to do our bit to ensure that the world we get is the world we want. We declare no competing interests.
*Nalini Saligram, Rachel Nugent [email protected] Arogya World, Naperville, IL 60540, USA (NS); and University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA (RN) 1
2
3
Horton R. Offline: Chronic diseases—the social justice issue of our time. Lancet 2015; 386: 2378. Novartis. Novartis launches ‘Novartis Access’, a portfolio of affordable medicines to treat chronic diseases in lower-income countries. Sept 24, 2015. https://www.novartis.com/ news/media-releases/novartis-launchesnovartis-access-portfolio-affordable-medicinestreat-chronic (accessed Jan 26, 2016). Colchero MA, Popkin BM, Rivera JA, Ng SW. Beverage purchases from stores in Mexico under the excise tax on sugar sweetened beverages: observational study. BMJ 2016; 352: h6704.
PEPFAR: is 90-90-90 magical thinking? The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) 3.0 has embarked on an important refocusing to achieve epidemic control through 90-90-90 (90% of HIV-positive individuals knowing their status, 90% of those receiving antiretroviral therapy, and 90% of those achieving viral suppression).1,2 Despite good intentions, the implementation is creating
Rick D’Elia/Corbis
daily lives and their subversion of efforts to regulate their activity, are a global health risk and, rather than being represented as partners in the NCD arena, their conflict of interest needs to be recognised: their accountability is to shareholders’ profits. Acknowledgment and action is part of the electric shock the NCD movement needs.
943