Report: Pharma-Funded Science Not Necessarily Biased Towards Drugmakers
A report published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism showed no statistical significance between arthritis research funded by pharmaceutical manufacturers and research funded by non-profits or government entities.
Thirty-seven of 49 trials (75.5%) sponsored by pharmaceutical manufacturers reported positive outcomes compared to 11 of 16 (68.75%) studies funded by nonprofits, government entities or foundations, reports Reuters.
The trials all studied rheumatoid arthritis, which could limit the scope of its findings, said study author Dr. Nasim Khan.
However, the study could simply be showing that nonprofits also have a tendency to have publishing biases, noted David J. Rothman of the Center for the Study of Society and Medicine at Columbia University in New York.
"The finding is not that industry doesn't have a proclivity to publish positive results. The finding is that not-for-profits also have a proclivity to publish positive results," said Rothman.
Read more: