I agree with the other rapid responses that there are other reasons
inherent in publication bias in such studies, including interest and
motivation of the authors of non-drug company sponsored trials, to seeing
them eventually published somewhere. But surely a more pernicious attitude
is the ability of sponsors to veto publication of any results? Although
pharmaceutical companies have been roundly critised in this week's BMJ,
government sources are probably even more guilty. I know of several
government ministry funded studies, superficially awarded as grants where
the researchers have no right of publication.
Surely the only answers to this are for ethics committees to refuse
permission for such clearly non-independant studies and for the MRC and
NHS RandD to actually fund investigator-driven practical clinical studies?
Rapid Response:
Not just pharmaceutical industry
I agree with the other rapid responses that there are other reasons
inherent in publication bias in such studies, including interest and
motivation of the authors of non-drug company sponsored trials, to seeing
them eventually published somewhere. But surely a more pernicious attitude
is the ability of sponsors to veto publication of any results? Although
pharmaceutical companies have been roundly critised in this week's BMJ,
government sources are probably even more guilty. I know of several
government ministry funded studies, superficially awarded as grants where
the researchers have no right of publication.
Surely the only answers to this are for ethics committees to refuse
permission for such clearly non-independant studies and for the MRC and
NHS RandD to actually fund investigator-driven practical clinical studies?
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests