The authors of this study [1] claim that no competing interests exist. However, Julio Licinio presented a talk at Lilly Research Laboratory in Indianapolis, Indiana, on March 16, 2005, on “Depression, Antidepressants, and Suicidality: A Critical Appraisal” and “Suicide in the U.S. 1960–2002: Impact of Fluoxetine Prescriptions”, slightly over a year before the study was published. This is noted on page 19 of Dr. Licinio’s 51 page curriculum vitae [2]. In a Medical News Today article [3], Eli Lilly claims to not have known about this study until it was accepted for publication. I don’t see how they could not have known about Dr. Licinio’s study, when he presented on the very topic at Eli Lilly Research Laboratory in Indianapolis on March 16, 2005.
Footnotes
Aasa Reidak (penas7ar@rogers.com), Lord Lansdowne Public School, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this article.
Competing Interests: The author has declared that no competing interests exist.
References
- Milane MS, Suchard MA, Wong ML, Licinio J. Modeling of the temporal patterns of fluoxetine prescriptions and suicide rates in the United States. PLoS Med. 2006;3:e190. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0030190. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0030190. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Licinio J. Curriculum vitae. 2006. Available: http://www4.od.nih.gov/oba/SACGHS/roster/Licinio_CV.pdf. Accessed 9 August 2006.
- New study suggests antidepressants save lives. Medical News Today. 2006 June 14. [No authors listed] Available: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=45055. Accessed 9 August 2006.