Withdrawal of Covid-19 Study by Ministry's Science Board 'Embarrassing,' Says TTB

A meeting of the Science Committee and Minister Koca in early March. (Photo: AA)

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The draft report of a Covid-19 study headed by the Ministry of Health's Science Committee contains "speculations and serious deficiencies in terms of methodology" the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) has said in a written statement.

The draft report was sent to The New England Journal of Medicine but then withdrawn after the Ministry recommended the scientists to expand the study using its database.

Although it was not published, the press reported it as the "first coronavirus study in Turkey" to be published on the NEJM. Prof. Tevik Özlü, a member of the Science Committee and the head of the research, denied the reports on Twitter, saying it was only a draft.

"Wishes that we also share"

The TTB criticized the draft report, saying its content was speculative and embarrassing. Almost half of the introduction of the report cites activities of the Ministry of Health, which cast doubts on the objectivity and independence of the study, the TTB said.

"The methodology part of a multi-centered study with a pretty high number of patients is expected to be very detailed and long, to fully express the scientific methodology used and the parameters investigated. This article lacks these attributes.

"The authors express that they believe that the early use of hydroxychloroquine, the giving favipiravir to every patient with pneumonia, high-flow oxygen therapy, non-invasive mechanical ventilation and prone positioning, and anticoagulant therapy prevent disease progression. It is possible that these treatments are effective, but the study did not aim to measure the effectiveness of these treatments; therefore, these statements are speculations that do not go beyond being the wishes, which we also share."

Ministry permission

The TTB also noted that the obligation to get permission from the ministry to conduct a scientific study on Covid-19 might potentially prevent or slow down studies in the country.

Saying that the deficiencies in the draft report negatively impacted the reputation of the scientific research environment in Turkey, the TTB called on the ministry to "abandon the attempts to prevent or slow down scientific research." (AS/VK)