Key facts
- An international team of scientists found ethical and legal concerns in 853 articles from the Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection (IHU).
- Didier Raoult, founder of IHU, was co-author on 758 of these articles.
- Raoult's earlier research claiming hydroxychloroquine as a Covid-19 cure was promoted by Donald Trump and Dr. Mehmet Oz.
- The hydroxychloroquine paper was later retracted for ethical and scientific reasons.
- The new analysis identified issues such as lack of ethics approvals and non-compliance with French law.
- These findings have resulted in 64 article retractions and 270 articles flagged with an "expression of concern."
An international team of scientists has identified substantial ethical and legal concerns in 853 articles published by the Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection (IHU), a French research hospital. Didier Raoult, the institute's founder, was a co-author on 758 of these papers. Raoult gained prominence in March 2020 for research claiming hydroxychloroquine, combined with azithromycin, was an effective treatment for Covid-19. This claim was promoted by Donald Trump and Dr. Mehmet Oz, with Trump calling it a "gamechanger." French President Emmanuel Macron also visited the institute.
The paper promoting hydroxychloroquine was eventually retracted in 2025 due to ethical and scientific reasons, despite being widely cited and influencing research directions. Lonni Besançon, a member of the new analysis team, stated that the paper's claims led to hydroxychloroquine shortages and diverted attention from other potential treatments, also fueling anti-vaccine sentiment.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, then a top Trump adviser, had previously expressed skepticism about the quality of Raoult's research, noting the lack of controlled clinical trials. Despite this, Oz, then a TV personality, emailed Trump administration officials, including Jared Kushner, vouching for Raoult's findings and calling them a "potential pandemic solution."
The new analysis, published in Research Integrity and Peer Review, examined 2,674 articles published between 1994 and 2024. Beyond Raoult's Covid-19 work, researchers found that at least 78 articles described biomedical research that appeared to violate French law. Other issues included 343 articles lacking recorded ethics approvals, approvals obtained retrospectively, and the reuse of approvals for multiple studies. These ethical problems, distinct from fraud or plagiarism, can erode public trust in science.
The findings have already led to 64 retractions and 270 articles being flagged with an "expression of concern." The researchers called for further review of the IHU's work and criticized Aix-Marseille University for its oversight, stating that millions in research funds were wasted and students were improperly trained. The university, in turn, stated it acted "conscientiously and responsibly."