Journal Stands Behind St. Jude Riata Lead Study; Medtronic Reacts

A scientific journal has rejected St. Jude Medical’s demand that it retract a report linking two of its heart leads with patient deaths. The St. Paul, Minn., company requested the withdrawal on grounds the study’s concept and execution were flawed. The journal does not plan to retract the manuscript “at this time,” HeartRhythm spokeswoman Kennesha Baldwin said. The study, “Deaths Caused by the Failure of Riata and Riata ST Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Leads,” was published on the journal’s website in March.
The GMP Letter