Having once waded into the slime of pharmaceutical publications planning, I think this idea is great.  The pharmaceutical industry does not exist to inform the biomedical disciplines.  Their mission is to sell drugs.

But who is going to write-up the disinterested version of the results of all these trials?  Who is going to offer the interpretations and nuanced discussion that makes scientific communication valuable?  Providing only raw data and the basic statistical work-up will ensure that the stats people in big pharma make things as incomprehensible as they can.  And then we will have an open niche for new publications that summarize and explain the trial results that appear in the big journals.

Research misconduct includes the inaccurate reporting of research.  There is an exemption for "honest error or honest differences in interpretation or judgments of data" (Federal Register 1989, 32:449).  It's the dishonest differences of opinion that are the problem.  Business is advertising and advertising is not honest.  Presenting oneself or one's ideas in the best light is fine for job interviews and first dates.  But biased presentation of information is not acceptable when the stakes are high.  Medicine and war come to mind.

Until the Federal Govt starts paying for clinical trials or takes over the job of analysis and reporting of trial data, we will not identify the best treatments for disease and will continue to live in our purple haze of purple pills.

Charlie Hathaway

At 02:19 PM 6/15/2004, you wrote:
>Good Afternoon Group,
>
>I wanted to alert you to this article of interest.
>
>
>Medical Journals Weigh Plan for Full Drug-Trial Disclosure
>
>June 15, 2004
> By BARRY MEIER
>
>Journals may require drug makers to register trials at their
>start in order for results, whether successful or not, to
>be published.
>
>http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/15/business/15drug.html?ex=1088323086&ei=1&en=7654f563e7779b33
>
>
>
>Thanks
>
>scott
>
>Scott Davis, CRA
>Sponsored Programs Administrator
>Office of Research Administration
>University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
>Ph: 405.271.2090   Fax: 405.271.8651
>E-mail: xxxxxx@ouhsc.edu
>
>
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