Outcomes of Drug Trials and Association with Funding Source

Web-based clinical trial registries such as ClinicalTrials.gov have been developed to increase transparency and reduce publication bias. In this study, U.S. and Canadian researchers examined more than 500 drug trials listed in that registry to investigate whether funding sources affected outcomes. The assessed clinical trials began after 1999 and were completed by 2006 and involved lipid-lowering agents, antidepressants, antipsychotics, proton-pump inhibitors, or vasodilators.

The trials were funded by industry (63%), nonprofit organizations (23%; half also received industry funding), and government (14%). Industry-funded trials, which were more likely to be later-phase trials, were also most likely to report positive outcomes even after adj…