This drug kills patients!

This drug kills patients! Avoiding sensationalism in clinical trials

APRIL 19, 2010 | Michael O'Riordan

Durham, NC - Reporting of important clinical trials needs to avoid unnecessary hype and fear-mongering and proceed in a scientific manner that helps define the risks and benefits of new therapies [1]. These are the conclusions from a group of researchers addressing the recent public sensationalism of clinical trials, particularly the emergence of unexpected cancer findings with ezetimibe (Zetia, Merck/Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals) and prasugrel (Effient, Eli Lilly/Daiichi Sankyo).

"For those of us who conduct clinical trials, over the past several years there have been a number of sensational items in the lay and medical press about associations and unusual findings," Dr Magnus Ohman (Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, NC), the lead author of the commentary, toldheartwire. "These unusual findings have always occurred in clinical trials, and we're going to continue to see these events, but what has changed is that it has become very difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff."