In the midst of an ongoing campaign to have a medical journal retract a controversial study of the Paxil antidepressant, the lead author, Martin Keller, quietly retired from his academic position at Brown University. Keller officially retired on June 30 and the next day was named an emeritus professor of psychiatry and human behavior, according to a university spokesman. The spokesman, however, declined to provide any further information on the reasons for retirement and Keller did not respond to messages for comment. Consequently it is unclear if the move is linked to the hubbub surrounding the Paxil study, which has shone an uncomfortable spotlight on Brown University and figured in the recent $3 billion settlement paid by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to resolve civil and criminal charges in connection with off-label promotion of several drugs, failing to report safety data and reporting false prices. The deal was announced last month, after the retirement.
