According to Dr. Jeffrey M. Drazen, editor-in-chief of New England Journal of Medicine, three of the largest drug companies pick and choose what they release in the clinical studies they register with the government. He called out Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, and Merck & Co specifically for noncompliance and warned that some important medical publications may avoid publishing their studies.
Drazen based his comments on a review of the information drug companies posted on clinicaltrials.gov. Of the 400 companies with trials listed on the registry, only 5 failed to list specific names of their drugs, often calling it "investigational drug." Merck did not provide a name 90% of the time, Glaxo 53%, and Pfizer 36%. These companies were also vagues in outlining the primary and secondary outcome measures of their studies.
Coutresy of Associated Press 5/24/2005
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
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