http://www.mssociety.org.uk/research/news_in_research/medicaljournals.html

25 November 2001

Thirteen leading medical journals have published a joint article accusing the pharmaceutical industry of jeopardising clinical research, by putting financial interests first. The evidence suggests that:

• Trials funded by companies are more likely to generate positive results.

• Negative results are less likely to be published by companies.

• Companies run their own trials because it is cheaper than paying academics, and because it also allows them to control the trials in ways that are not always in the best interests of the participants, investigators or scientific research itself.

• Researchers often accept the situation because if they don’t, the commercial sponsor will find someone else who will.

• They will only publish papers if the researchers, not the commercial sponsor, decide what gets published.

• The authors will be asked to sign a statement, declaring that they accept full responsibility for the way the trial has been carried out and its’ results.

• Clinical trials will registered on the web so that they can be monitored as they go along, making it harder for facts to be changed at a later date.

• Research should be carried out to high standards.

• Results should be published whether they are good or bad.

• The public should not be mislead by the results of research.