NEW YORK, July 29 (UPI) -- The American Society of Hypertension, the largest U.S. group dedicated to hypertension is severing its ties with the American Journal of Hypertension.
However, the journal's editor said he beat the society by announcing in an editorial published in the July edition that the journal was ending its relationship with the society.
The split ends months of tension between the hypertension group of 3,000 researchers and clinicians who specialize in the treatment of high blood pressure, and Dr. John H. Laragh, co-founder of the society and the long-time editor of its journal, reported the Wall Street Journal Friday.
The society says, at the recommendation of its auditor and legal counsel, it must establish a formal agreement with the journal giving it editorial oversight.
But, Laragh has alleged the society's leaders are being improperly influenced by financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry and becoming, in essence, marketers for drug companies, the journal said.
