A review of seventy-four clinical trials of antidepressants, for example, found that thirty-seven of thirty-eight positive studies [that praised the drugs] were published. But of the thirty-six negative studies, thirty-three were either not published or published in a form that conveyed a positive outcome.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the bias in publishing clinical trial results regarding antidepressants.
Marcia Angell's quote emphasizes the significant issue of publication bias in clinical research, specifically concerning antidepressants. It reveals that a majority of studies showing positive results are published, while negative results are often hidden or manipulated to appear favorable. This problem undermines the integrity of scientific research and can lead to misleading conclusions about the effectiveness of treatments, ultimately affecting patient care and trust in medical science.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about the ethics of pharmaceutical research.
It is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published, or to rely on the judgment of trusted physicians or authoritative medical guidelines. I take no pleasure in this conclusion, which I reached slowly and reluctantly over my two decades as an editor of The New England Journal of Medicine.
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Before I lost my voice, it was slurred, so only those close to me could understand, but with the computer voice, I found I could give popular lectures. I enjoy communicating science. It is important that the public understands basic science, if they are not to leave vital decisions to others.
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