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Intimidation and bullying of PACE trial critics
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=== Negative portrayal of PACE critics=== Patients and scientists have requested anonymised data from the PACE trial through [https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-freedom-of-information/what-is-the-foi-act/ Freedom of Information Requests] and other means, to compare the reported findings to the original protocol-specified procedures. Several of these requests haveapproved by the Information Commissioner's Office - despite been rejected and labeled “vexatious”<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.meaction.net/2015/12/12/vexatious-kings-college-london-dismisses-james-coynes-request-for-plos-one-pace-data/ | title = “Vexatious”: King’s College London dismisses James Coyne’s request for PLOS One PACE data | date = 2015-12-12 | website = #MEAction|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/raw_6mwt_data_after_treatment/new | title = Raw 6mwt Data after treatment - a Freedom of Information request to Queen Mary University of London | date = 2015-11-01 | website = WhatDoTheyKnow|language=en|access-date=2019-02-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/fitness_data_for_pace_trial | title = Fitness data for PACE trial - a Freedom of Information request to Queen Mary University of London | date = 2015-06-29 | website = WhatDoTheyKnow|language=en|access-date=2019-02-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.virology.ws/2015/12/17/a-request-for-data-from-the-pace-trial/ | title = A request for data from the PACE trial | last = | first = | authorlink = David Tuller | date = 2015-12-17 | website = [[Virology blog]]|archive-url=|archive-date=|url-status=|access-date=2019-02-21}}</ref> by the PACE authors’ academic institutions. [[Richard Horton]], editor-in-chief of [[The Lancet]], the scientific journal that published the PACE trial main findings, described critics of PACE as “a fairly small but highly organized, very vocal and very damaging group of individuals who have ... actually hijacked this agenda and distorted the debate so that it actually harms the overwhelming majority of patients.”<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/healthreport/comparison-of-treatments-for-chronic-fatigue/2993296 | title = Comparison of treatments for chronic fatigue syndrome - the PACE trial | date = 2011-04-15 | website = Radio National|language=en-AU|access-date=2019-02-21}}</ref> Critics of the PACE trial have repeatedly been compared to climate change deniers<ref>Fiona Fox. (2017, September 28) [http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/inconvenient-truths/ Inconvenient truths]. Science Media Center.</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.virology.ws/2017/07/03/trial-by-error-guest-post-questions-about-professor-sharpes-special-ethics-seminar/ | title = Trial by Error, Guest Post: Questions About Professor Sharpe’s ‘Special Ethics Seminar’|website=[[Virology blog]]|access-date=2019-02-20}}</ref> and anti-vaccination campaigners.<ref>{{Cite journal | last = Lewandowsky | first = Stephan | last2 = Bishop | first2 = Dorothy | date = 2016-01-28 | title = Research integrity: Don't let transparency damage science | url = http://www.nature.com/news/research-integrity-don-t-let-transparency-damage-science-1.19219|journal=Nature News|language=en|volume=529|issue=7587 | pages = 459|doi=10.1038/529459a}}</ref> Professor of neurology Malcolm Macleod for example said: "If you substitute ‘CFS’ for ‘autism’ and ‘PACE trial’ for ‘vaccination’ you see a familiar pattern…”<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-journal-of-health-psychologys-special-issue-on-the-pace-trial/ | title = expert reaction to Journal of Health Psychology’s Special Issue on The PACE Trial {{!}} Science Media Centre|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-21}}</ref> Patients that were critical of the PACE trial have been targeted by an extended smear campaign that variously portrayed them as violent militants or activists engaging in a campaign of harassment.<ref name="thebristolcable">{{Cite web | url = https://thebristolcable.org/2017/07/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-bristol-university-and-controversial-science/ | title = Chronic fatigue syndrome, Bristol University, and controversial science | last = | first = | authorlink = | date = 2017-07-07 | website = The Bristol Cable|language=en-GB|archive-url=|archive-date=|url-status=|access-date=2019-02-20|quote=But if there is truth in the criticisms from patients and CFS advocacy groups and charities, the dominance of the ‘extremist’ opponent narrative – the alleged harassment and abuse of researchers into these treatments – is also troubling. While accepting there may be some intemperate opponents, some critics of PACE and the following trials pursuing similar hypotheses, such as FITNET and MAGENTA at Bristol, say researchers are using the ‘militant’ narrative to deflect legitimate criticisms of bad science.}}</ref> During the 2015 first tribunal hearing on the release of the PACE trial data, professor Ross Anderson made “wild speculations” about “young men, borderline sociopathic or psychopathic” being attached to PACE trial criticism.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.meaction.net/2016/08/16/tribunal-orders-release-of-pace-data/ | title = Tribunal orders release of PACE data | last = Anderssen | first = Alex | authorlink = | date = 2016-08-16 | website = #MEAction|language=en-US|archive-url=|archive-date=|url-status=|access-date=2019-02-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url = https://inews.co.uk/news/health/tribunal-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-data-released/ | title = Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: tribunal orders data from controversial trial to be released | last = Gallagher | first = Paul | date = 2016-08-19 | website = inews.co.uk|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-02-21}}</ref><ref>https://www.me-pedia.org/images/0/0d/First_tier_tribunal_%282015%29_appeal_number_EA-2015-0269.PDF</ref> Authors of a reanalysis of the PACE trial received an abusive review at the British Medical Journal. One of the peer reviewers wrote: "It is about time that they moved on from their obsessive (in the non-psychiatric use of the term) poring over the results of a good (albeit imperfect) randomised controlled trial."<ref name="Coyne2017abused">{{Cite web | url = https://jcoynester.wordpress.com/2017/05/11/patients-writing-about-their-health-condition-were-abused-by-a-peer-reviewer-and-silenced-by-bmj/ | title = Patients writing about their health condition were abused by a peer reviewer and silenced by The BMJ | last = Coyne | first = James C. | date = 2017-05-11 | website = Quick Thoughts|language=en|access-date=2019-02-21}}</ref> The peer reviewer also questioned the diagnosis of some of the authors and their sincerity in criticizing the PACE trial: "Are [the patient authors] absolutely sure that they are writing about syndromes of chronic fatigue? Are they sure they are not simply writing about themselves?"<ref name="Coyne2017abused" /> Scientists and clinicians who expressed concern about the safety of interventions used in the PACE trial were demeaned on social media as "whiners" who "have managed to ensure there is no treatment available for patients with ME."<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://twitter.com/D_Blanchflower/status/1088832025149218816 | title = the whiners have managed to ensure there is no treatment available for patients with ME - brilliant | last = Blanchflower | first = Danny | date = 2019-01-25 | website = Twitter|language=en|access-date=2019-02-21}}</ref> Critics of the PACE trial have been accused of disliking the results<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://twitter.com/ProfRobHoward/status/1093182643498299392 | title = “When people don’t like the results of clinical trials they are prone to try and find fault with them”. Exactly. I stand with my colleagues who conducted the PACE trial.@ProfRobHoward | last = Howard | first = Robert | date = 2019-02-06 | website = Twitter|language=en|access-date=2019-02-21}}</ref> and attempting "to find faults with them which would not be raised if they liked the results."<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-letter-from-the-hra-to-norman-lamb-regarding-the-st-committees-inquiry-on-research-integrity-and-the-pace-trial/ | title = expert reaction to letter from the HRA to Norman Lamb regarding the S&T Committee’s inquiry on Research Integrity and the PACE trial {{!}} Science Media Centre|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-21}}</ref>
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