JOHN EDEN’S clinical studies of women treated for breast cancer at the Royal Hospital for Women suggest high doses of progestin can reduce recurrence of the disease. This contradicts studies showing that progestin increased the risk of breast cancer.

Dr Eden’s research came to the attention of the multinational drug company Wyeth, which used it in a campaign to increase sales of its hormone replacement drugs.

After his name came up in a government inquiry in Washington, Dr Eden discovered he had been duped into helping push the drug company’s commercial agenda.

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He regrets his association with Wyeth, saying he would never have accepted the pharmaceutical giant’s editorial assistance with his research paper had he known it would be used for commercial purposes.

The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology cleared Dr Eden, finding that there was no evidence of ghost writing in his research paper, saying it was of ”high scientific value”.

He stands by the findings of his studies and says that in the case of hormone replacement therapy for women with serious menopause symptoms, the baby has been thrown out with the bathwater.