Misconduct in medical research: does it exist in Britain?

A nonsystematic survey of plagiarism, misrepresentation, and fraud in medical research found that such cases are known to only a few people, little of the published work is retracted, and that few institutions have formal mechanism for dealing with instances of medical misconduct. The believes that the problem is considerably larger than indicated by the, particularly in the area of drug trials in district hospitals without connections. He urges action by individual institutions, organizations, and local ethics committees strengthened by legal. (KIE abstract)