The Effect of Funding Source on Outcome Reporting Among Drug Trials
Authors: Deborah A. Zarin, Tony Tse
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2011)

Letters18 January 2011The Effect of Funding Source on Outcome Reporting Among Drug TrialsDeborah A. Zarin, MD and Tony Tse, PhDDeborah A. Zarin, MDFrom ClinicalTrials.gov, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894.Search for more papers by this author and Tony Tse, PhDFrom ClinicalTrials.gov, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-154-2-201101180-00020 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Bourgeois and colleagues (1) report that published trials funded by industry and government reported “favorable” results 85% and 50% of the time, respectively. Although features of their sample and the high rates of censored data (unpublished trials) may have contributed to differences across sponsor types, their results for industry raise concerns. The conclusion that selective publication probably accounts for much of this high rate is well supported. Some commentators have focused on alternative explanations, such as that industry may be “good” at designing trials (2). In our view, there are no “good” explanations.Three possible factors may ...References1. Bourgeois FT, Murthy S, Mandl KD. Outcome reporting among drug trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov. Ann Intern Med. 2010;153:158-66. [PMID: 20679560] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Begley S. Some pharmaceutical clinical trial results are buried, study shows. Newsweek. 5 August 2010. Accessed at www.newsweek.com/2010/08/05/some-pharmaceutical-clinical-trial-results-are-buried-study-shows.html on 22 November 2010. Google Scholar3. Safer DJ. Design and reporting modifications in industry-sponsored comparative psychopharmacology trials. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2002;190:583-92. [PMID: 12357091] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Tse T, Williams RJ, Zarin DA. Reporting “basic results” in ClinicalTrials.gov. Chest. 2009;136:295-303. [PMID: 19584212] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From ClinicalTrials.gov, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894.Disclaimer: The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not reflect any position or policy of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Public Health Service, or Department of Health and Human Services.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoOutcome Reporting Among Drug Trials Registered in ClinicalTrials.gov Florence T. Bourgeois , Srinivas Murthy , and Kenneth D. Mandl The Effect of Funding Source on Outcome Reporting Among Drug Trials Florence T. Bourgeois , Kenneth D. Mandl , and Srinivas Murthy The Effect of Funding Source on Outcome Reporting Among Drug Trials Erick H. Turner The Effect of Funding Source on Outcome Reporting Among Drug Trials Adam Jacobs Metrics Cited ByCharacteristics of antimicrobial studies registered in the USA through ClinicalTrials.GovSponsorship and design characteristics of trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov 18 January 2011Volume 154, Issue 2Page: 137-138KeywordsConflicts of interestDrug policyDrugsFactor analysisLibrariesMedical services ePublished: 18 January 2011 Issue Published: 18 January 2011 CopyrightCopyright © 2011 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...