November 7, 2020     Publication of the study:
Michael Frass et al. Homeopathic Treatment as an Add-On Therapy May Improve Quality of Life and Prolong Survival in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Prospective, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind, Three-Arm, Multicenter Study .
The Oncologist, Volume 25, Issue 12, December 2020, Pages e1930–e1955,  https://doi.org/10.1002/onco.13548
Published:07 November 2020

May 2, 2021         We send a Letter to the Editor to the Oncologist with some criticisms. The letter will not be published. To date, there has been no response to this letter or the arguments it contains.

June 6, 2021        At the same time as publishing the criticism of the study on the websites of INH ,   Initiative for Scientific Medicine and Edzard Ernst in English, we are also sending our criticism to the Rector Markus Müller, the Vice Rector Michaela Fritz, the Chairs of the Ethics Committee Jürgen Zezula and Martin Brunner of the Medical University of Vienna, to the lead author Michael Frass and most of the co-authors, as far as their email addresses are known.

June 11, 2021      In an email, Vice Rector Fritz thanked us for the presentation we provided. She reported that the Austrian Agency for Scientific Integrity (ÖAWI) had been asked for a statement and requested that we be available to answer any questions the ÖAWI might have.

June 15, 2021      The Chairs of the Ethics Committee of Meduni Vienna thank you for our comments.

June 17, 2021      The Online-Standard reports on our criticism of the study

July 9, 2021         The Austrian Agency for Scientific Integrity (ÖAWI) requests our permission to contact the lead author of the study, Michael Frass, using our names (Aust and Weisshäupl). We agree.

Aug 31, 2021          The Chief Editor of the journal "The Oncologist", Bruce Chabner, requests that the Rectorate of Meduni Wien keep him informed about the ongoing investigation by the Austrian Austrian Agency for Scientific Integrity (ÖAWI).

January 1, 2022      The journal “The Oncologist” is moving from Wiley to Oxford University Press, with Susan Bates, Professor of Oncology at Columbia University, New York, becoming Editor-in-Chief.

Sept 30, 2022         Vice Rector Michela Fritz informs us that there is a final statement from the Austrian Austrian Agency for Scientific Integrity (ÖAWI) and that the ÖAWI and the Medical University of Vienna intend to use this statement to obtain a retraction from the “Oncologist.”

Oct 4, 2022    The ÖAWI informs us about its final statement on the study we criticized.

Oct 23, 2022    The journal Profil, Volume 2022, Number 43, 23.10.2022, pp. 58 - 61, also reports in detail on the results of the ÖAWI review under the title "Almost too good to be true".

Nov 2, 2022 An “Expression of Concern” regarding the study appears on the website of “The Oncologist”

Nov 5, 2022.       We are contacting all co-authors again by email. Given the "Expression of Concern" in "The Oncologist" and the expected retraction of the publication, we suggest that the authors consider withdrawing their authorship themselves to expedite the process.

Nov 7, 2022       We are informed that a total of five co-authors (four co-authors working at hospitals of the Vienna Health Network and one co-author working at Meduni Vienna) have already applied to the journal “The Oncologist” for the retraction of their co-authorship at the end of September 2022.

Dec 2022:       The Austrian Medical Homeopathic Societies published a statement on their websites rejecting all findings of the ÖAWI review and announcing legal action against the ÖAWI. See here and here .

Aug 2023     We contacted the Editor-in-Chief of "The Oncologist" and inquired about the status of their own investigation. The response: The investigation is ongoing, the matter is being taken very seriously, and a decision is expected shortly.

We also received an email from the Executive Publisher of Oxford University Press: The matter is complicated, ongoing, and they are trying to act for the benefit of patients and the scientific community.

Oct 2023    We contacted the Executive Publisher again. The response: The plan was to reach a decision by the end of August 2023, but work is continuing on the matter and details cannot be disclosed.

Nov 2023      We contacted the Executive Publisher again. We received no further response.

Dec 2023      We contacted the CEO of Oxford University Press. We explained that communication with the Executive Publisher was fruitless and that a fact-check on the matter could be completed quickly and would not require a full year.

Jan 2024      We received a response from the assistant to the CEO of Oxford University Press. The CEO has assigned someone to look into the matter.

Feb 2024     We contacted the CEO's assistant and asked about the status of the project. She responded that they were looking for a suitable German-speaking reviewer and that a result was expected in early March 2024.

Approx. Feb 2024   The annual report of the ÖAWI will be published online, including the results of the Frass-NSCLC homeopathy study on page 5 Request A 2021/10

Feb and July 2024: Five coauthors contacted the oncologist again and requested that they withdraw their coauthorship. This also remained unanswered.

April 2024      We learn that the review at The Oncologist is complete and that a meeting to discuss the results will take place soon.

May 2024   We contacted the CEO of OUP again because we still haven't received any results. We received only a read receipt for this email, but no further response.

Aug. 2024   We learn that the withdrawal of the five co-authors was registered by "The Oncologist" almost two years ago, and an update to the publication is planned. The date remains open. The decision regarding a retraction of the study is also open.

Sept 24, 2024. The Oncologist publishes a correction and an editorial on the study and sees no reason to retract the study. The correction does not resolve any ambiguities, and the editorial suggests that its authors are ignorant of homeopathy.

Sept 24, 2024 The Oncologist invites Harald Sitte to write a commentary on the matter, which would, however, be subject to the journal's "standard peer review and acceptance process in accordance with its policies." 

Starting in Sept 2024,  we are attempting to submit a paper titled "Trials and tribulations of responsible people trying to uphold scientific standards" to various journals  , including a reference to the journal's ethical commitments. None of the journals we contacted expressed interest.

Oct 2024  Michael Frass reports on his website under the title "Great joy for lung cancer patients" that his study has been rehabilitated and that the medical university is pleased about it. 

Nov 10, 2024    We are filing a complaint with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) about the conduct of The Oncologist, signed by Harald Sitte.

Nov 20, 2024    COPE sends an email to the oncologist requesting a statement.

Dec 16, 2024    COPE has not yet received a response from the oncologist and sends another email requesting a statement on the allegations, this time with a deadline of January 7, 2024. 

Jan 6, 2025 The oncologist answers COPE.

Jan  7, 2025. Harald Sitte, in response to an invitation from The Oncologist, submits a commentary entitled "Could homeopathy improve survival in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer?" to the journal. Authors: Harald Sitte, Viktor Weisshäupl, Norbert Aust, Jutta Hübner, and Edzard Ernst.

Jan 23, 2025 The Oncologist announces that the commentary has been sent to two reviewers and that their review results are expected in three weeks.

Feb 19, 2025 COPE requests the oncologist to contact the Austrian Austrian Agency for Scientific Integrity (ÖAWI) and the Medical University of Vienna to discuss the matter.

March 14, 2025:  Two months after submitting the commentary to the Oncologist, the status is still "Under Review." Harald Sitte requests an update.

May 23, 2025  More than four months after submitting the commentary, written at the invitation of the Journal, there has still been no response.

June 17, 2025  As suggested by COPE, a video conference takes place between representatives of the Medical University of Vienna, the Austrian Agency for Scientific Integrity (ÖAWI), and the journal "The Oncologist."

July 19, 2025  There is still no response to the commentary submitted more than half a year ago by Harald Sitte at the invitation of the editorial staff.

August 18, 2025 Harald Sitte asks the chief editor of The Oncologist, Susan Bates, and the editorial office to send him the peer reviewers' comments on the commentary.

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