Wednesday, July 22, 2009

PFIZER CONCEALS DRUG DATA ON ANTI-DEPRESSANTS

Pfizer concealing reboxetine data, says IQWiG
By Gareth Macdonald, 15-Jun-2009 (excerpts below)


Germany’s IQWiG has accused US drugmaker Pfizer of “concealing data on the effect of a drug Edronax for the treatment of depression.”

Pfizer has “refused to provide a complete list of all published and unpublished trials on reboxetine.” on a controversial antidepresant to a German health group, The Institute for Quality and Efficacy in Health Care (IQWig).

Peter Sawicki, IQWiG director, said: “By concealing study data, the manufacturer is depriving patients and doctors of the opportunity to make an informed decision on different therapy options.”

Sawicki also said that: “deception through concealment is no trivial offence” adding that “in extreme cases, patients may even receive useless treatment if information is incomplete.” He went on to suggest that “publication bias, the selective release of only data that supports a development candidate, has been a growing problem in the drug industry for the last 20 years.”

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