Glyphosate Study Retracted After 25 Years: Ghostwriting Exposed

A 25-year-old influential research article assessing glyphosate's carcinogenicity has been retracted. Published in April 2000, the study concluded the herbicide was safe. However, in November 2025, the journal Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology removed it, citing critical issues that undermined the article's integrity and conclusions.

This significant disavowal emerged years after thousands of internal Monsanto documents, known as the "Monsanto Papers," were made public. These documents revealed that the study's authors were not the scientists listed on the publication but rather employees of Monsanto.

The practice of "ghostwriting," where companies pay researchers to sign studies they did not write, is considered scientific fraud. This tactic aims to lend credibility to research supporting a product's safety by having it appear independent of the marketing company.