Pharmaceutical Companies Release Negative Trial Results On A More Regular Basis

A new study released by Cutting Edge Information, available at , examines medical publication efforts of pharmaceutical companies across a wide range of therapeutic areas. The study finds that, in response to legislation and pressure from the general public, pharmaceutical companies are now more regularly releasing both positive and negative results of their trials.

Rather than toss out adverse trial outcomes, pharmaceutical companies make them public both through traditional academic journals and through other mediums, such as , an online registry for clinical trials. Although regulatory scrutiny plays a role in this publication practice, concerns from the general public — payers, physicians, and ultimately the patients themselves — especially encourage openness.

“Companies find it worthwhile to release complete trial results, whether positive or negative,” says Amanda Zuniga, a senior research analyst at Cutting Edge Information. “Doing so shows the public that a company is acting in an honest, transparent manner.” In addition, most companies adhere to one or more sets of publication guidelines that encourage frankness and full disclosure of clinical performance.

Despite the strides that companies have taken toward transparency in their publications, journal outlets are often opposed to publishing negative outcomes. In response, some companies take advantage of Internet databases, and others target a different set of journals when publishing unexpected trial outcomes. According to the study, still other companies tackle this hurdle by publishing in a niche category of journals that caters to adverse trial results and clinical trial replications. Whatever method they use, pharmaceutical companies are sure to gain the trust of their customers through comprehensive trial disclosure.

“Pharmaceutical Medical Publications: Market Preparation & Strategic Support” (), was designed to explore pharmaceutical companies’ medical publications structures, strategies and processes. The study delves into the resource support and funding that various medical publication departments and teams benefit from. In addition, through this report, readers will be exposed to some of the industry’s best medical publication practices and should be better positioned to streamline their own strategies and processes by benchmarking their efforts against those of top-leading companies.