Statement of Retraction [Sublingual vs vaginal misoprostol for completion of first trimester missed abortion: a randomised controlled trial]
We, the Editor and Publisher of European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care, have retracted the following article:
Abdelshafy A, Awwad H, Abo-Gamra A, et al. Sublingual vs vaginal misoprostol for completion of first trimester missed abortion: a randomised controlled trial. Eur J Contraception Reprod Heal Care. 2019;24(2):134–139. DOI: 10.1080/13625187.2019.1569224
Since publication, significant concerns have been raised about the validity of the statistical analysis and reported results in the article, as well as whether the study received the necessary ethical approval. When approached for an explanation, the authors provided responses to some of our queries, but these responses did not sufficiently address the concerns raised, and the authors were unable to provide their raw data for review. We also contacted the Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University Research Ethics Committee (FMASU REC), which informed us that the study did not receive ethics approval. As the study did not receive ethical approval and we cannot confirm the validity of the trial as reported, we are therefore retracting the article. The corresponding author has been informed of this decision.
We have been informed in our decision-making by our editorial policies and COPE guidelines.
The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as ‘Retracted’.