Experiments using virulent avian flu strains pose risk of accidental release // PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 20-May-2014 Research in mammals that aims to prevent future influenza pandemics raises ethical, public health concerns Boston, MA — Experiments creating dangerous flu strains that… Read More ›
PLoS Medicine
Ghostwritten articles overstate benefits of ( Prempro ) hormone replacement therapy and downplay harms
Public release date: 7-Sep-2010 HRR-Re-Posted at Request – analyzed dozens of ghostwritten reviews and commentaries published in medical journals and journal supplements that were used to promote unproven benefits and downplay harms of Prempro – The analysis revealed that DesignWrite… Read More ›
AIDS guidelines for children may not improve death rates but may improve treatment access ( Yes, you read that right )
Contact: Fiona Godwin medicinepress@plos.org Public Library of Science Recent changes to World Health Organization guidelines for starting anti-AIDS drugs (antiretroviral therapy—ART) in young children are unlikely to improve death rates but may increase the numbers of children receiving ART by… Read More ›
Depression: ‘Now the Second biggest cause of disability’ in world
By Helen Briggs BBC News Depression is common across the world Depression is the second most common cause of disability worldwide after back pain, according to a review of research. The disease must be treated as a global public… Read More ›
Current study shows: Important information on effects and side effects of drugs is missing in most publications
IQWiG: Reliable assessment of drugs is only possible on the basis of clinical study reports (CSRs) In 2012 researchers from the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) presented a study in the BMJ analysing information sources… Read More ›
Commonly used painkiller ‘should be banned over heart risk’
A painkiller used by at least a million people in Britain a year should be banned because it raises the risk of heart attack and stroke by almost half, say British academics. Daily doses of painkillers can increase the risk… Read More ›
Half of trials supporting FDA applications go unpublished
2008 study posted for filing Contact: Andrew Hyde press@plos.org 44-122-346-3330 Public Library of Science Over half of all supporting trials for FDA-approved drugs remained unpublished 5 years after approval, says new research published in this week’s PLoS Medicine. The most… Read More ›
Statins are unlikely to prevent blood clots
Press release from PLOS Medicine Despite previous studies suggesting the contrary, statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs) may not prevent blood clots (venous thrombo-embolism) in adults, according to a large analysis by international researchers published in this week’s PLOS Medicine. In 2009, an… Read More ›
‘Spin’ in media reports of scientific articles: 47% of articles contain ‘Spin”
Contact: Sumrina Yousufzai syousufzai@plos.org 415-568-3164 Public Library of Science Press releases and news stories reporting the results of randomized controlled trials often contain “spin”—specific reporting strategies (intentional or unintentional) emphasizing the beneficial effect of the experimental treatment—but such “spin” frequently… Read More ›
How much of the medical literature is shaped behind the scenes by drug companies?
Requested Repost Citation: Sismondo S (2007) Ghost management: How much of the medical literature is shaped behind the scenes by the pharmaceutical industry” PLoS Med 4(9): e286 Drug companies control or shape multiple steps in the research, analysis, writing,… Read More ›
Only 15% of Whistleblower Off Label Drug Complaints have Adequate Financial Disclosure
Contact: Sumrina Yousufzai syousufzai@plos.org 415-568-3164 Public Library of Science COI declarations and off-label drug use Conflict-of-interest statements made by physicians and scientists in their medical journal articles after they had been allegedly paid by pharmaceutical manufacturers as part of off-label… Read More ›
More on legal remedies for ghostwriting
In an Essay that expands on a previous proposal to use the courts to prosecute those involved in ghostwriting on the basis of it being legal fraud, Xavier Bosch from the University of Barcelona, Spain and colleagues lay out three… Read More ›
