Although it is widely known that drug and device makers fund most clinical trials, a new analysis finds these companies are not always transparent about the influence they exert on trial design and reporting. And the researchers suggest business concerns may too often trump patient interests.
On the plus side, the analysis found the vast majority of academics and their industry partners, including contract research organizations, contributed to trial design and reporting. And four of five academics had complete access to all of the data generated by the trials that were examined, according to the analysis, which was published in BMJ.
But only one-third of academics who were surveyed reported having final say on trial design. Meanwhile, companies were involved in analyzing data in 73 percent of the trials, compared with just 40 percent of the academics who worked on these trials. Only 4 percent of the academics considered the trials to be independent, or void of any industry involvement.
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