Peruvian research: striving for the highest standards

For 60 years, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) in Lima, Peru, has contributed to world-class knowledge in tropical medicine, high-altitude medicine and physiology, public health, and basic sciences with the highest research standards and ethics. We therefore read with interest the World Report by Lucien Chauvin,¹ in which we found some inaccuracies that we would like to clarify.

First, the Peruvian National Institute of Health has not suspended UPCH from conducting clinical trials. Only the site corresponding to Sinopharm's phase 3 BBIBP-CorV vaccine trial has been stopped from initiating future studies during the current investigations of research misconduct. This measure preserves the ongoing trial, protects its volunteers, and assures the study's completion, led by a newly designated principal investigator.

We also wish to stress that once we acknowledged the regrettable events associated with a batch of additional vaccine doses held outside of the study, the university's community demanded the removal of the researchers involved from the clinical trial. We also urged for the resignation of UPCH's president and vice-presidents for having received some of these doses. All university members involved in the scandal are under investigation and will face sanctions according to the statutory disciplinary and ethical regulations of UPCH.

As UPCH's leading researchers, and in line with the values that gave rise to our institution, we feel vicariously ashamed and apologise to the community for the involvement of UPCH's name in such an unfortunate case. We assure the national and international scientific community that we will continue our research activities at the highest standards according to our tradition.

We declare no competing interests. Signatories of this Correspondence are listed in the appendix.