Abuses

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Medical Journal to Issue Correction On Review of Depression Treatment
By DAVID ARMSTRONG
July 18, 2006 11:43 a.m.

BOSTON -- A review of a new depression treatment published in a medical
journal failed to disclose that the authors are consultants to the company
that sells the treatment.
An official of the medical society that publishes the journal
Neuropsychopharmacology says a correction will be issued soon.

The review piece in this month's Neuropsychopharmacology comes to
favorable conclusions about the treatment, called vagus nerve stimulation.
The treatment involves the implanting of a small device just under the
skin. Electrodes attached to the device are wrapped around the vagus nerve
in the neck. The Food and Drug Administration approved the treatment for
use in depression last year.

Of the nine authors, eight are academic researchers who are consultants
for Cyberonics Inc., which makes the vagus nerve device. The ninth author
is an employee of the company, which was disclosed.

In the conclusions of the review article, the authors write that vagus
nerve stimulation is "a promising and well-tolerated intervention that is
effective in a subset of patients with treatment-resistant depression."