Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Taking antidepressants?

Or any drug, for that matter? It turns out, according to the Wall Street Journal, that the FDA does not require the publication of inconclusive or negative clinical trials of prescription drugs.

Pardon me, but aren't we paying for the FDA's expenses, and aren't we the ones who suffer when ineffective drugs are approved because adverse statistical results are removed from the analysis?

As I'm told Benjamin Disraeli once said, "Lies, damned lies, and statistics." Shame on the FDA for proving this once again.

A final note; one drug maker that DOES release (at least in meta-analysis form) its negative and inconclusive results is Eli Lilly. You don't always have the choice of their products vs. others, but when you do, you have another reason to consider them.

No comments: