Healthy Skepticism Library item: 19147

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

From the Design of Use Study to the Assessment of the Benefit: with or without Pharmaceutical Industry?
Med Klin (Munich) 2010 Dec; 105:(12):930-935
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21240593

Abstract:

The financing of clinical studies by
the pharmaceutical industry is a
controversial topic both
internationally and in here in
Germany. The well-known unacceptable
shortcomings require no further
confirmation. It is, however,
indisputable that the pharmaceutical
industry and medical science are
co-dependent. Neither the marketing
of industrial products nor the
research and education of clinical
scientists could function without
this cooperation. Therefore, all
partners need suggestions concerning
goal orientation and consensus. The
aim of this discussion is to
formulate just such suggestions. To
structure this discussion, we have
raised the following questions: Must
we always be suspicious of the
results of studies financed by the
pharmaceutical industry? We have to
keep in mind that in Germany all
clinical trials leading to approval
of a drug were supperted by the
industry. What, exactly, do we want
to achieve with our explicit and
often justified criticism of these
studies? What should be done to
achieve a higher validity of the
published data if we avoid answering
the decisive question of whether we
accept the challenge of continuing
to let research and teaching be
financed by the pharmaceutical
industry or reject this kind of
cooperation and support alltogether.