Drug companies more often sponsor research; Many such studies have positive findings for their products

Drug companies are increasingly funding medical studies, which often bring positive results for their own products, according to USA Today . Researchers on Wednesday at an American Psychiatric Association conference in Toronto reported that in 2002, 57% of drug studies published in medical journals were funded by drug companies, compared with 25% with 1992. Igor Galynker of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City led the study, which examined studies on psychiatric drugs published in four medical journals: the American Journal of Psychiatry, the Archives of General Psychiatry, the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. Reviewers were not told who paid for the studies. Galynker said the findings show a favored outcome for the drugs being studied in approximately:

Eight out of 10 studies that were paid for by the company that makes the drug;

Five of 10 studies that were conducted with no industry support; and

Three out of 10 studies funded by competitors manufacturing a competing product.

The findings do not prove that drug companies are conducting biased studies, according to study co-author Robert Kelly, also with Beth Israel. Nonetheless, some health experts are beginning to encourage publicly funded medical studies. Sidney Wolfe, director of the Health Research Group at Public Citizen, called for the government to fund more research (Elias, USA Today, 5/25).