Research funded by drug manufacturers questioned
Publication Date:23/10/2007
Research into a common asthma treatment seems to find fewer side effects when the funding comes from the drug's manufacturer, a new study suggests.
What do we know already?
Steroid inhalers are one of the best treatments for preventing asthma attacks. Many people use them every day without any problems, but there is a chance of side effects, especially if you take high doses for a long time.
Drug trials are one way of finding out about the side effects of medicines. A lot of these trials are paid for by the companies that manufacture the drugs. Other organisations also pay for medical trials, including governments, charities and universities.
Researchers have now looked at hundreds of studies on steroids for asthma, to see if the results are affected by who funded the study.
What does the new study say?
At first sight, studies funded by drug companies do seem to be more favourable to their drugs. About 65 in 100 independent studies found that steroid inhalers had side effects, compared with only 35 in 100 studies funded by drug companies.
But the researchers then adjusted their results to take into account other things that might affect people's risk of side effects. For example, in some studies, people took higher doses of steroids. Higher doses increase the chances of side effects. Once these things were taken into account, drug-company funding didn't seem to make any difference to the results.
Drug-company funding did affect how researchers interpreted their results. Industry trials were more likely to say that a drug was safe overall, even if there were side effects. However, it's hard to know whether industry studies were too generous, or if the other studies were too strict.
It makes sense to wonder whether drug manufacturers might be tempted to favour their own drugs in studies. But all medical research is published with information on who funded it, and detailed information about how the study was done. Ideally, this means that biased studies will be spotted and criticised by other researchers.
Where does the study come from?
The study was done by researchers from the Children's Hospital La Fe, in Valencia, Spain, and from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. It appeared in the medical journal Archives of Internal Medicine, which is published by the American Medical Association.
What does this mean for me?
It can be worrying to think that a medicine you take regularly could cause side effects. But the drug safety watchdog in the UK says that most people using a steroid inhaler have no problems at all. You shouldn't stop taking your asthma treatment without talking to your doctor. You might have a bad asthma attack.
Most people taking steroids for asthma use an inhaler because inhalers cause less side effects than tablets. Doctors also tend to prescribe fairly low doses of steroids, which also cuts the chance of problems. If you need to take high doses, you'll probably be referred to a specialist first.
However, it is possible to get side effects from a steroid inhaler. Your doctor will tell you about the things to look out for. Milder side effects can include a sore throat and a fungal infection in your mouth. Rinsing your mouth with water after using your inhaler may help to prevent this.
There is a chance that using a steroid inhaler regularly for a long time could make your bones weaker. But this is not likely with normal doses. In children, there's a chance that steroids could affect their growth. All the research suggests that children taking steroids do grow to their full height. They just do so more slowly. But doctors keep a check on how fast children grow while taking steroids, just in case.
It's important to remember that not treating your asthma properly can also have harmful effects on your health. A bad asthma attack can be life-threatening. Your doctor or asthma nurse will help you balance the risks and benefits of treatment for you, based on how severe your asthma is.
What should I do now?
You probably don't need to do anything. You should always see your doctor if you're worried about the side effects of a drug you're taking. But if you use a steroid inhaler, you're no more likely to get side effects now than you were before.
From:
Nieto A, Mazon A, Pamies R, et al. Adverse effects of inhaled corticosteroids in funded and nonfunded studies. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2007; 167: 2047-2053.
To find out more, see our information on asthma in children and asthma in adults.
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© BMJ Publishing Group Limited ("BMJ Group") 2007. All rights reserved
This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.
