Weighing Clinical Trial Evidence with a Thumb on the Scale?
However, a recent study published in JAMA cuts through many of these possibly confounding factors to once again highlight the troublesome association between industry funding and clinical trial conclusions. Using logistic regressions to analyze the relationship between funding source and outcomes in 370 randomized drug trials (adjusting for many relevant factors such as sample size, quality of methods, etc.), the authors come to a startling yet statistically significant finding: the experimental drug was recommended in 16% of trials funded by nonprofits while being recommended in 51% of trials funded by for-profits. The authors did not mince words in their conclusion:
Conclusions in trials funded by for-profit organizations may be more positive due to biased interpretation of trial results. Readers should carefully evaluate whether conclusions in randomized trials are supported by data.