Bias in Pharmacologic Trials: Meta-Analyses

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I perused a paper today on conflict of interest. The paper, published in JAMA, investigated whether meta-analyses of pharmacological treatments published in high-impact biomedical journals reported conflict of interests disclosed in included randomized controlled trials.

Of 29 meta-analyses reviewed, which included 509 RCTs, only 2 meta-analyses (7%) reported randomized control trial funding sources; and 0 reported randomized trial author-industry ties or employment by the pharmaceutical industry. Information concerning primary study funding and author conflict of interest were rarely reported, if ever.

As conflict of interest seeps into a study, bias may ensue, impacting study outcomes and interpretation.  In pharmacologic studies, bias tends to result in an overestimation of a drug’s benefit and therapeutic effect.

This should be a concern for all critical readers.