• Beh
• et
• s disease
• interferon

Kotter et al refer to some problems, such as fabrication of authorship, possibly data, and ethical transgressions,¹ in our article published in the Lancet.² However, they do so without knowing the current facts about an ongoing process. They cite accusations that rely on an unfinalised investigation from the year 2000. As we are now in 2003, I do feel that I have to present updated correct information.

Before I do that, however, I would like to note that the best scientific evidence against fabrication of the results is its reproducibility by other groups. The results of Kotter et al¹ show the beneficial effect of interferon in Behçet’s disease just as our results did,² and our results are being increasingly reproduced.

The fact that the accusations were made on the basis of an unfinalised investigation was clear in the editorial³ and letter⁴ written about our article at the time. The editor of the Lancet stated that “... further investigations are in progress”³ and the Dean of our medical school stated that “... the issue will …