| If you think drug research is honest, you need to | | | | people who share a given disease. It appears to help |
| read this. | | | | the people in four of the groups, but the subjects in |
| We would like to think that the research done by the | | | | the other eight groups have no improvement or |
| pharmaceutical companies is honest, but more than | | | | perhaps even get sicker or have serious side effects. |
| one news story has shown otherwise. If we had the | | | | Differing results from one trial to the next is |
| political will, or if the FDA was less political, drug trials | | | | common, since people get better or worse for many |
| could be made more honest almost immediately with | | | | reasons. This is why many trials are necessary to be |
| one simple procedure. Unfortunately, that change has | | | | statistically significant. |
| been fought by the drug companies. Let's see why. | | | | What if in this case, the company decided that only |
| The English newspaper, The Guardian, recently | | | | the four trials with positive results are important, and |
| reported on several systematic reviews of drug | | | | they quietly get rid of the data from the other eight. |
| research. They clearly showed that pharmaceutical | | | | Suddenly a drug with no real benefit appears to have |
| industry studies and clinical trials report positive results | | | | helped in every clinical trial - at least every one we'll |
| far more often than those funded independently | | | | know about. It is very bad science, of course, but |
| (funded by those not selling the drugs tested). Is it | | | | one of the most common ways pharmaceutical |
| just a coincidence that drug companies get more of | | | | companies manipulate drug research results. |
| the results that they're looking for? No. | | | | How do we stop this? Researchers have been |
| The drug companies probably almost never directly | | | | recommending an inexpensive solution to this problem |
| tamper with clinical drug trials, nor are they likely to | | | | for decades: make the companies register all trials, so |
| change the reported results afterwards. Dishonesty | | | | none can be "lost." To use the results of any drug |
| or criminal behavior like that is probably very rare in | | | | research to get a new pharmaceutical approved, a |
| drug research, because it isn't needed. More subtle | | | | company would have to register the trial before it |
| ways are available. | | | | begins, in a compulsory international trials registry. It |
| How To Manipulate Drug Research Results | | | | would add very little to their costs. |
| The most common way to manipulate the results of | | | | Naturally the drug companies are against this simple |
| drug research, is the simplest of all. If you want to | | | | idea, and certainly have their arguments to present. |
| show that a new pharmaceutical works, just get rid | | | | The most likely real reason they are fighting it is that |
| of the trials that show it doesn't, and keep the ones | | | | it doesn't allow them as much control over the |
| that show some effect. Investigations have | | | | "truth" or the results of drug research. And with our |
| demonstrated that this is common, that negative | | | | own FDA staffed by their friends and former |
| data is often hidden or discarded. | | | | coworkers, we can expect this dishonesty to go |
| Suppose a new drug is given to twelve groups of | | | | on. |