Pharma funding biases results of drug trials

Sidney: There are many ways to influence study outcomes. Industry-sponsored studies are more likely to favour products of pharmaceuticals and medical devices than non-industry funded research, a new study reveals. The new Cochrane Library Review, which adds 27 studies to update a previous Cochrane review, confirms earlier analyses by “providing definitive evidence that pharmaceutical industry funding of drug studies biases the results and conclusions to look favourable towards the drug of the sponsor,” said senior author, Professor Lisa Bero of the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre.