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Whistleblowing in science: this physician faced ostracization after standing up to pharma

Physician scientist Nancy Olivieri describes hard-won lessons from decades of fighting for scientific integrity.
  1. Sara Reardon

    1. Sara Reardon is a freelance journalist based in Bozeman, Montana.

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The image of a lone scientist standing up for integrity against a pharmaceutical giant seems romantic and compelling. But to haematologist Nancy Olivieri, who went public when the company sponsoring her drug trial for a genetic blood disorder tried to suppress data about harmful side effects, the experience was as unglamorous as it was damaging and isolating. “There’s a lot of people who fight for justice in research integrity and against the pharmaceutical industry, but very few people know what it’s like to take on the hospital administrators” too, she says.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-02743-5

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 27 August 2024: An earlier version of this story erroneously indicated that Nancy Olivieri questioned the legality of using unlicensed drugs in clinical trials.

References

  1. Olivieri, N. F. et al. N. Engl. J. Med. 339, 417–423 (1998).

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  2. Olivieri, N. F., Sabouhanian, A. & Gallie, B. L. PLoS ONE 14, e0211942 (2019).

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