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

Reporting Highlights

An Unprecedented Crisis: Dr. Craig Towers said he was “inundated” with pregnant patients addicted to opioids. He published a study with promising results from an unconventional treatment.

Too Good to Be True? Eight addiction and pregnancy specialists raised concerns about Towers’ research in a letter to his employer, the University of Tennessee.

Lingering Impact: A university audit of the study found numerous problems. Towers retired, citing health and family reasons, but some clinics still use approaches described in his research.

These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.