Influences on the quality of published drug studies.
To practice evidence-based medicine, physicians need data on the clinical effectiveness, toxicity, convenience, and cost of new drugs compared with available alternatives. We give examples of published drug studies that are defective, sometimes because pharmaceutical industry funding has affected their content and quality. We make recommendations on how to avoid these defects.
Bero
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LA
Institute for Health Policy Studies, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco 94109, USA.
Rennie
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D
D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004341:Drug Evaluation / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D004345:Drug Industry; D011643:Publishing / Q000592:standards; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards; D012109:Research Support as Topic