Originally published June 29 2006
Drug company research cannot be trusted, declares medical scientist
by NaturalNews
(NaturalNews) A prominent British scientist is calling for full disclosure of all test results in drug trials. Sir Iain Chalmers -- editor of the James Lind Library, which documents drug testing and medical treatments -- says the pharmaceutical industry is suppressing information that might hurt product sales, and putting people's health at risk. He also accuses doctors of colluding with drug companies for financial gain.
In an article recently published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, Sir Iain warns that drug companies cannot be trusted until they change their reporting practices. He wants all pharmaceutical makers to sign the Good Publication Practice Guidelines for Pharmaceutical Companies, an agreement that encourages companies to publish all trial results and puts mechanisms in place ensure that guidelines are followed.
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has already established a global agreement that requires drug trial results to be publicly registered and published. "Under this agreement, all clinical trial results -- positive and negative -- must be published within a year of a medicine being licensed for use in patients and, for studies of existing medicines, within a year of that trial," said an ABPI spokesperson.
However, Sir Iain contends that the current drug testing procedures are not working. "Whether industry does anything about this really depends on how seriously they are taking the very bad reputation they have in the public," he said.
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