Challenged papers underpin several drugs

The possibility that National Institute on Aging neuroscience chief Eliezer Masliah doctored images in scientific writings for decades is likely to provoke anxiety among multiple drug companies. The concerns recently documented in a dossier on more than 100 of his papers most directly challenge an experimental Parkinson’s disease therapy developed by Prothena (see main story, p. 1406). But 238 active patents concerning neurological conditions also cite suspect work noted in the dossier, according to data from Dimensions Analytics. And the corporate holders of those patents include dozens of firms at work on treatments.