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How to rig a drug trial

There's been lots of research comparing manufacturer-sponsored medical research to the old-fashioned, unsponsored kind, and the results are pretty much what'd you expect: "Studies sponsored by pharmaceutical firms were four times more likely to show results favoring the drug being tested than studies funded by other sources." (British Medical Journal, 2003, 326:1167).

How do academics do it and still maintain scientific credibility? The Carlat Report has come up with a handy summary of tips drug companies use to steer clinical trial results in their favor:

1. Make sure your drug has a dosage advantage. When comparing your drug to a competitor's, use an extremely low dose for the competition.

2. Dose their drug to cause side effects. If side effects are more your speed, use an extremely HIGH dose for the competition, thereby lowing its "tolerability."

3. Pick and choose your outcomes. If results don't meet your expectations, keep analyzing the data until you find something.

4. Practice “creative writing” in the abstract. When all else fails, "get creative with the abstract, which is often the only part of the article to be widely read."

See the Carlat Report for more info and examples.