How Drug Research is Distorted
Do you think that the drug research done by pharmaceutical companies is honest? Think again. The Guardian newspaper recently reported on many systematic reviews which demonstrate that pharmaceutical industry studies show positive results far more often than those funded by independent sources. Coincidence? They just happen to get more of the results that they want? Not Likely.
It is also unlikely that drug companies directly tamper with clinical drug trials in any criminal way. They aren't likely to change the reported results afterwards either. This kind of dishonesty is probably very rare in drug research, because it isn't necessary. There are more subtle ways to get the results you want.
First, a company can design a study in a biased way. For example, even if a study is theoretically double-blind, a company could create procedures which let doctors administering a new pharmaceutical know who is getting it, versus who is getting a placebo. The expectation of doctors that a patients condition will improve has been shown to result in more reported improvement. This obviously could bias the results. This is a fairly crude manipulation, but there are certainly other ways to design a study to increase the chance of positive results.
By far, the most common way to manipulate the results of drug research, is to selectively report those results. Recent investigations show that this is common. Negative data is often hidden or thrown out.
To understand why this matters, consider a simple example. A new drug is given to ten groups of people who share a given disease or condition. On average, it appears to help the people in five of the groups , but the subjects in the other five groups have no improvement or get worse. This is common, since people get better or worse for many reasons, and this is why many trials are necessary to be statistically significant.
Now suppose, in this case, the company decided that only the five trials with positive results are important enough to report, and they quietly get rid of the data from the other five. Now, a drug that has no real benefit appears to have helped in every research trial - every one that the rest of the world hears about anyhow. This is bad science, of course, and unfortunately is just one of the ways that pharmaceutical companies play with data.
By the way, scientists have been recommending a simple and inexpensive solution to this problem for decades: a compulsory international trials register. In order to use the results of any drug research trials to get a new pharmaceutical approved, a company would have to register the trial before it begins. In this way trials that don't give the result wanted can't just disappear.
Not surprisingly, the drug companies are against this simple idea. It doesn't allow them as much control over the "truth." As a result, we can expect dishonest drug research to continue.
Related Tags: pharmaceuticals, drug research, drug trials
Copyright Steve Gillman. Want to know a secret? How about hundreds of the best kept secrets - powerful knowledge few people know? Get a free subscription to the 99 Lies Newsletter, at http://www.99lies.com
Your Article Search Directory : Find in ArticlesRecent articles in this category:
- Dental Insurance For Individual Can Be Of Help At Time
Dental problem may cost one a lot of money and pain. But, practicing a reasonable care could decreas - Personal Trainer For Perfect Health
There is a general misconception that need for a fitness trainer comes for novice or from those who - Varicose Veins - Causes, Symptoms, Treatment
The majority of people after thirty notice the changes that appear with the maturing. In this case t - Scenar Therapy - Self-treatment Or Healing Partnership
Do you want to learn about a device which will help you to ease your pain? If you get this kind of a - Scenar - 5 "no, Nos" Of Scenar
Are you fed up with the pain in your body? Various parts of our body seem to ache due to different r - Scenar Device - 5 Tips On Travelling With Your Scenar (skenar) Device
You might be aware of scenar which has become quite popular these days. This is actually the acronym - Scenar Therapy - How To Treat Your Pet With Scenar
There are many alternative methods of treatment that are being invented these days. Lots of people a - Your Options For The Treatment For Appendicitis
Appendicitis is considered to be a surgical illness. Due to its severe character, the treatment for - How To Choose The Right Copd Medication
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD does not have any cure. But with the help of medicines - Septic Arthritis: Infectious Agents Penetrate Joints' Spaces
Another major type of arthritis is septic arthritis, which is also known in various terms like: pyog
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Drugs - the Last Alternative for Adhd in Kids
Anyone over the age of thirty who has grown up with ADHD understands that there was not much help av - Foods To Eat To Gain Weight
Malnutrition has the same degree of problem as obesity. There are people who are too skinny, they fi - Understanding Postpartum Clothing
The same way most pregnant women dream of the day when they will begin showing for wearing maternity - Kegel Exercising for Bladder Control and Enhanced Sexual Pleasure
Kegel exercises strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor, thereby improving the urethra and/or rec - The Use Of Weight Loss Herbs
Nothing has garnered more attention in today's world than the success or failures of weight loss pro - A Simple Acid Relux Cure
Many people today are afflicted with heartburn. If they eat food that is too spicy, they get heartbu - Five Effective Household Back Pain Treatments
Back pain treatment comes in lots of forms, from exercise to pain mediction. Standard and most wides - Herbal Remedies - Can They Cure What Ails You?
You've probably heard about herbal remedies before and how they can treat a variety of health proble - Natural Relief for Tinnitus - What are your Choices
Natural Relief For Tinnitus - Alternative Options Did you know that there are an estimated 50 t - Birthing Around the World
Since ancestral times, different cultures showed off different customs and beliefs around the miracl