His Research on Pregnant Opioid Users Was Widely Celebrated. Auditors and Experts Found Major Flaws.

ProPublica is reporting that a widely celebrated study on treating pregnant women with opioid addiction has been called into question by auditors and outside experts. The research, led by Dr. Craig Towers in Knoxville, Tennessee, suggested that detoxing from medications like methadone or buprenorphine was safer for the fetus than long believed, and it prompted changes at clinics in several states. But a university audit found that Towers failed to get approval for the study, provided inaccurate or unverifiable documentation, and didn't adequately protect patient health information. The journal that published the work, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, issued a seventy-eight-word correction in 2023, but five independent experts told ProPublica that the response didn't address the deeper problems. Towers disputes the audit's findings, saying the journal's continued support proves his research is sound.

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