I am preparing to send a complaint about Cochrane Editor-in-Chief Karla Soares-Weiser for allowing Cochrane authors to ignore an explicit instruction from arbitrator Gordon Guyatt to highlight in the amended Exercise Therapy for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome that exercise has no important effect on fatigue. I have written to Cochrane CEO Catherine Spencer for more detail… Continue reading Preparing a complaint to Cochrane: January 2023
Category: Uncategorized
Letter to Cochrane with a suggestion about the update to the Exercise therapy for ME/CFS review: 19 March 2022
Yesterday I wrote to Rachel Marshall, the Cochrane Senior Editor who is managing the project to update Cochrane’s review of Exercise Therapy for ME/CFS. There have been no updates on the progress of the review since July last year, despite a commitment from Cochrane to keep patient groups regularly informed of progress.” I copied in… Continue reading Letter to Cochrane with a suggestion about the update to the Exercise therapy for ME/CFS review: 19 March 2022
Reply from Gill Leng, ex-CEO of NICE, 27 January 2022
On 27 January 2022, Gill Leng replied to my email of 31 December 2021. I have posted her reply below. Her understanding of the key issues I raise is probably greater than her reply would suggest. This selective understanding avoided addressing the issues I am most concerned about. Firstly, that NICE has entered into a… Continue reading Reply from Gill Leng, ex-CEO of NICE, 27 January 2022
Letter to Gill Leng, outgoing CEO, NICE, 31 December 2021
On 26 November 2021 I wrote to Toby Lasserson, Cochrane’s Deputy Editor-in-Chief, copying in in Gill Leng the Chief Executive Officer of NICE. I received a short response from Cochrane on 9 December. Today, 31 December, I wrote to Gill Leng, outgoing CEO of NICE copying in the incoming CEO of NICE, and other relevant… Continue reading Letter to Gill Leng, outgoing CEO, NICE, 31 December 2021
Letter to Toby Lasserson, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Cochrane
On 26 November 2021 I wrote to Toby Lasserson, Cochrane’s Deputy Editor-in-Chief, copying in in Gill Leng the Chief Executive Officer of NICE. My letter was prompted by the announcement that NICE and Cochrane have signed collaborative agreement. Among a few other issues, I am seeing reassurance that NICE will manage the risk posed by… Continue reading Letter to Toby Lasserson, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Cochrane
Letter to Health Research Authority’s Matt Westmore about HRA’s 2019 defence of the PACE Trial (July 2021)
Today I wrote to Professor Matt Westmore, Chief Executive of the NHS Health Research Authority, which protects and promotes the interests of patients and the public in health and social care research. 27 July 2021 Dear Professor Westmore (cc Carol Monaghan, MP Science and Technology Committee) I am writing in a personal capacity, not as… Continue reading Letter to Health Research Authority’s Matt Westmore about HRA’s 2019 defence of the PACE Trial (July 2021)
Letter to Medical Research Council’s Fiona Watt about 2018 defence of the PACE Trial (July 2021)
Yesterday I wrote to Professor Fiona Watt, Executive Chair of the UK’s Medical Research Council It was to follow up on her statement in response to an open letter to The Lancet, signed by more than 100 experts, ten members of Parliament, and 70 patient and advocacy organizations. 19 July 2021 Dear Professor Watt I am… Continue reading Letter to Medical Research Council’s Fiona Watt about 2018 defence of the PACE Trial (July 2021)
Cochrane editors concluded that reviews saying that Exercise and CBT may be helpful for ME/CFS could not cause harm to patients, despite new draft NICE guidelines saying they should no longer be used (Feb 2021)
Below is my correspondence with Cochrane which started with an email to The Cochrane Editor-in-Chief in November 2020. I notified her that following the conclusions of the two reviews Exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome and Cognitive behaviour therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome in adults could lead to patient harm. Therefore, according to Cochrane’s own… Continue reading Cochrane editors concluded that reviews saying that Exercise and CBT may be helpful for ME/CFS could not cause harm to patients, despite new draft NICE guidelines saying they should no longer be used (Feb 2021)
A summary of our paper on exercise therapy and bias caused by lack of blinding
Request to Cochrane to withdraw two reviews on Exercise therapy and CBT for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (November 2020)
On 18 November I wrote a rapid response on the BMJ article “NICE backtracks on graded exercise therapy and CBT in draft revision to CFS guidance” It called for Cochrane to withdraw the reviews, as following the conclusions of both reviews could lead to patient harm. According to the Cochrane policy on reporting serious errors… Continue reading Request to Cochrane to withdraw two reviews on Exercise therapy and CBT for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (November 2020)