"The makers of antidepressants like Prozac and Paxil never published the results of about a third of the drug trials that they conducted to win government approval, misleading doctors and consumers about the drugs‘ true effectiveness, a new analysis has found.“ This disturbing news comes in an article by Benedict Carey ("Researchers Find Bias in Drug Trial Reporting,“ The New York Times, 17 Jan 08).
Mr Carey explains that "in published trials, about 60 percent of people taking the drugs report significant relief from depression, compared with roughly 40 percent of those on placebo pills. But when the less positive, unpublished trials are included, the advantage shrinks: the drugs outperform placebos, but by a modest margin, concludes the new report.“ In reviewing data from 74 trials involving 12 drugs, the study documents a disturbing pattern: "while 94 percent of the positive studies found their way into print, just 14 percent of those with disappointing or uncertain results did.“
[Researchers] found that "37 of 38 trials that the F.D.A. viewed as having positive results were published in journals. The agency viewed as failed or unconvincing 36 other trials, of which 14 made it into journals. But 11 of those 14 journal articles 'conveyed a positive outcome‘ that was not justified by the underlying F.D.A. review, said the new study’s lead author, Dr. Erick H. Turner.“
Circumspectly, Dr. Turner is reported as indicating that this selective use of favorable studies sets up patients for disappointment. "The bottom line for people considering an antidepressant … is that they should be more circumspect about taking it, and not be so shocked if it doesn’t work the first time and think something’s wrong with them.“
This waking dream can be understood to tell us several things. First, that perhaps there is no sure-fire, magic bullet for the emotional state diagnosed as depression. More disturbingly, the people entrusted to keep things honest and safe, to operate with Joe & Jane Consumer’s best interests in mind, don’t seem to be on the up-and–up. Those who take anti-depressants need to access reliable research in order to obtain a less skewed idea about the safety and efficacy of these medications. The reality-checking of the dream of Erasing Depression needs to be reality-checked itself! As it stands, there is no dream cure to erase depression – what a bummer!