Victoria: Pharmaceutical companies fund the bulk of clinical research, says
Professor Lexchin. Perhaps not surprisingly, research has shown that
company-funded research is more likely to result in positive conclusions
about new therapies and products than research that is not sponsored by
companies.
Drawing on real-life examples,
Professor Lexchin’s lecture will investigate the possible ways in which
bias can be introduced into research outcomes. This includes methods
such as only publishing trials with positive results, reinterpreting
data submitted to regulatory agencies, and even “ghostwriting” or hiring
communications experts to write up study results under the signature of
prominent academics.
There is no evidence
that any of the preventative measures that have been introduced so far
have stopped this bias and it's not clear that they have even slowed
down the process, says Professor Lexchin. “What is needed is a paradigm
change in the way we treat the relationship between pharmaceutical
companies and the conduct and reporting of clinical trials.”