Wyeth, one of the funders of the study on the emergence of the New Delhi metallo-beta lactamase (NDM-1) bacteria or the superbug, on Monday said it did not influence the independent investigator-initiated research studies or their conclusions.
Denying reports in the media suggesting that the firm might have influenced the study on “Emergence of a new antibiotic resistance mechanism in India, Pakistan and the UK: a molecular, biological, and epidemiological study” published in the online edition of The Lancet Infectious Diseases on August 11, the statement said the referenced article was a publication of independent research by a panel of international investigators, also funded by the Wellcome Trust and the European Union.
“This panel of investigators is the sponsor of this study. The article clearly acknowledges that funding agencies had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation or writing of the report.”
The Health Ministry had strongly reacted to the outcome of the study suggesting that the pharmaceutical companies which had funded the study could have influenced the conclusions that could adversely impact medical tourism in the country.
