Authors of articles with favorable opinions of Avandia’s safety received money from Glaxo, reports The New York Times.
The New York Times reports that an analysis of Avandia research finds a “slant in articles” on the safety of the diabetes drug:
A new analysis of reviews and articles about the controversial diabetes drug Avandia has found that experts who were paid by its manufacturer have been significantly more likely than others to draw positive conclusions about the drug’s safety and efficacy.
The report cited a study recently published in the journal BMJ. Researchers reviewed over 200 articles by 180 authors to investigate the relationship between the authors’ financial ties and their opinions regarding Avandia heart attack risk. Each article was classified by independent reviewers as favorable, unfavorable, or neutral based on the author’s stated opinions on the link between Avandia and heart attacks, and the authors’ position on whether patients should continue or discontinue the use of Avandia.
Almost 90% of the authors who expressed favorable views of Avandia had potential conflicts of interest with Glaxo. Among those who had unfavorable opinions, only one-fifth had received money from Glaxo.
The New York Times article may be found here: “Study Sees a Slant in Articles About Drug”