BMJ  2006;333:916 (28 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7574.916

Letter

Cochrane reviews v industry supported meta-analyses

We should read all reviews with caution

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—That industry sponsored meta-analyses differ in conclusions from Cochrane reviews does not mean that industry sponsorship is the only source of bias or that Cochrane reviews should be uncritically accepted.¹

Allegiances of authors of meta-analyses are not only associated with selective attention to relevant studies and more positive conclusions in the case of industry ties.² We should be sceptical about a comparative review from the director of a Cochrane Centre that puts the centre in such a favourable light.

Credit: GUSTO/SPL

 

Cochrane reviews are sometimes conducted on literature that is not ready for meta-analysis, with adverse implications for clinical practice and public policy. A recent Cochrane meta-analysis concluded that couples therapy was not better than individual therapy for depression.³ The offering of couples therapy should be a matter of "patient preference and availability of specific resources." Yet, the studies reviewed were all seriously flawed. None had close to . . . [Full text of this article]

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA jcoyne@mail.med.upenn.edu

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