title: Commentary on Cochrane review of neuraminidase inhibitors for preventing and treating influenza in healthy adults and children.
abstract: In recent years there has been much debate and controversy surrounding the efficacy and safety of neuraminidase inhibitors for influenza, in part because the data underlying certain efficacy claims were not available for independent scrutiny. In 2014, a Cochrane review was published, based exclusively on an almost complete set of clinical study reports and other regulatory documents. Clinical study reports can run to thousands of pages, providing an extensive amount of information on the planning, conduct and results of each trial. After a protracted campaign to obtain the reports, the manufacturers of the medications provided them unconditionally. The review authors subsequently published the underlying documents simultaneously with the Cochrane review, endorsing the concept of open science. In the following commentary, the background to and results of this review are summarized and put into clinical context.
authors: School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Electronic address: m.jones@sph.uq.edu.au.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Jones
authors: The Cochrane Collaboration, Rome, Italy.
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Jefferson
authors: Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Doshi
authors: Centre for Research in Evidence-Based Practice (CREBP), Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Del Mar
authors: Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Heneghan
authors: Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Onakpoya
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009980:Influenza A virus; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control; D009439:Neuraminidase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000078202:Systematic Reviews as Topic
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D009439:Neuraminidase
keywords: Clinical study reports; Influenza; Neuraminidase inhibitors; Reporting bias; Systematic review