Healthy Skepticism Library item: 6878

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Qizilbash N, Schneider L, Farlow M, Whitehead A, Higgins J.
Meta-analysis of tacrine for Alzheimer disease: the influence of industry sponsors
JAMA 1999; 281:2287-2288
http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v281n24/ffull/jlt0623-7.html

Abstract:

It is not surprising that trials without corporate sponsorship found no clinical effect since they all had small sample sizes. The most favourable trial was rejected because of deficiencies in design and analysis and this trial did not have corporate support. Unplanned subgroup analysis often leads to spurious results. The meta-analysis in question was carried out independently and was not funded by the manufacturer. If all individuals who have received financial support from industry sponsors are excluded from meta-analyses, then few individual-patient data meta-analyses of recently marketed drugs will be performed.

Keywords:
*letter to the editor/*analytic survey/Alzheimer disease/ corporate funding/ reporting of results/ drug company sponsored research/ relationship between researchers, academic institutions and industry/ clinical trials/ETHICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTION: LINKS BETWEEN HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND INDUSTRY/INFLUENCE OF PROMOTION: OUTCOME OF CLINICAL TRIALS/INFLUENCE OF PROMOTION: PUBLICATION/SPONSORSHIP: RESEARCH