The novelty of research article: Whose responsibility is it?

Sir,

I would like to comment on the article entitled “Effective control of sickle cell disease with hydroxyurea therapy”[1] published in Jan-Feb, 2010 issue of Indian Journal of Pharmacology. I have found nothing novel about the topic which makes it to be published. Any research article must meet certain criteria and standards that are set by the editorial and review committee before it can be published. That said, I saw nothing novel in the study, the main objective of which was the evaluation of hydroxyurea therapy in sickle cell patients. This has already been well studied and established for some time;[2,3] indeed, this is referenced in the article itself and in standard pharmacology texts.[4,5] In the 15 years that I have instructed undergraduate and postgraduate medical students in Pharmacology, I have routinely taught about the effectiveness and safety of hydroxyurea in the control of sickle cell disease. I would therefore enquire the authors and other concerned members about the criteria that merited publication of the article in the journal.