Once-promising diabetes breakthrough comes unglued with a major retraction

[n2doc]

By DAMIAN GARDE @damiangarde

DECEMBER 27, 2016

One of the highest-profile researchers in diabetes has retracted a paper once heralded as a breakthrough, following multiple failed attempts to reproduce its headline-grabbing results.

The retraction ends three years of scrutiny into whether a discovery by Harvard University stem cell scientist Douglas Melton was indeed a major advance in the field of diabetes, with the paper’s authors now conclusively backing away from their earlier findings.

Back in 2013, Melton’s lab reported a promising discovery: A hormone found in the liver seemed to spur the production of insulin-producing cells in mice, lighting the way for a new approach to treating diabetes. The paper, published in the journal Cell, drew attention around the world, as it suggested a means of boosting insulin by using the body’s own machinery and held out the potential to free millions of diabetes patients from regular injections.

But the claim soon lost its luster.

more
https://www.statnews.com/2016/12/27/diabetes-breakthrough-retracted/

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

1. Damn

So, they give all this false hope to millions of people around the world...

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Trump's new FDA is gonna end all those pesky drug testing rules.

Currently Big Pharma claims they can charge so much money because of all the drug testing required, including the gold standard of double blind human tests, and the standard that tests much be replicate-able.
Big Pharma has argued for releasing drugs more quickly ( and making huge bucks ) by allowing teh consumers to be the guinea pigs by self reporting any problems.

Some poor testing, or lack of testing is already known, by the numerous recalls of some drugs.
The lawsuits which led to the withdrawals won't happen in Turmp's FDA, tho, cause Big Pharma wants to supplant them by arbitration only options.