PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Call for full access to Tamiflu trial data to allow for independent scrutiny

2011-01-12
(Press-News.org) Tom Jefferson and colleagues from the Cochrane Group argue that the current system for assessing the safety and effectiveness of drugs, based on published trial data only, is "wholly inadequate" and "ethically dubious."

They propose a new approach that would allow in-depth scrutiny of the complete set of trial data for a new drug.

Their call comes after they reviewed the evidence for the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu), and were unable to find sufficient published data to support the conclusion that oseltamivir reduces complications in healthy adults.

As a result, Roche (oseltamivir's manufacturer) publicly pledged to make full results for ten unpublished clinical trials available for scrutiny. Yet, to date, they have failed to fulfil this promise.

The Cochrane team's concern deepened after finding reports of ten serious adverse events in patients enrolled in two key manufacturer-funded trials that were not reported in journal publications arising from those trials.

Other recent cases, where the "true" effects of drugs have emerged only after all the evidence (including unpublished data) has been analysed, have further highlighted the importance of independent evaluation.

"The answer is to make the data freely available: we should accept nothing less than a full dataset," say the authors. "Before licensing a drug - and certainly before large purchase decisions are made - our governments and policy makers should ensure that all researchers can access data in sufficient detail to allow for the independent exploration and re-analysis of trials," they add.

Their proposed new approach involves compiling a complete list of drug trials (published and unpublished) and requesting full clinical study reports. It is available at http://www.editorial-unit.cochrane.org/neuraminidase-inhibitors-influenza-hta-project

They urge researchers, the public, and the media to work together to put pressure on industry to embrace the ethical responsibility to release data in the public interest. They also call on medical journals to require submission of the most detailed report available.

They conclude: "It is time the media, the Cochrane Collaboration, and any reader interested in knowing what they are prescribing or are being prescribed increase the pressure on policy makers. If you swallow a medication, you need to know how it works - for real."

INFORMATION:

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Individuals with partial hearing loss may benefit from hybrid cochlear implant

2011-01-12
CHICAGO—Hearing loss can affect anyone, at any time. But it can be especially frightening for someone who suddenly starts to lose his hearing during adulthood. Tom Groves, 77, first noticed his diminishing hearing when he was in his early 40s. He was unable to hold conversations with large groups of people; found it nearly impossible to socialize in high-background noise environments like restaurants; and couldn't enjoy radio, TV and movies unless they were captioned. Now, Groves is hearing much better than he has in 30 years, thanks to an experimental hybrid cochlear implant. ...

Our perceptions of masculinity and femininity are swayed by our sense of touch

2011-01-12
Gender stereotypes suggest that men are usually tough and women are usually tender. A new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, finds these stereotypes have some real bodily truth for our brains; when people look at a gender-neutral face, they are more likely to judge it as male if they're touching something hard and as female if they're touching something soft. Several studies have found recently that we understand many concepts through our bodies. For example, weight conveys importance; just giving someone ...

'Vive la difference!' Seeing foreigners as foreign encourages local coworkers to assist them

2011-01-12
"Vive la difference!" Seeing foreigners as foreign encourages local coworkers to assist them finds a Rotman study. Toronto - Whether it's a company with local and ex-pat employees, countries in need of aid, or the elderly interacting with the young, a new research paper to be published in the journal Psychological Science says recognizing diversity can actually encourage people to help each other instead of sparking conflict. "The standard assumption has been that group-based differences serve as the basis for distrust, disagreement, or dispute," says Geoffrey Leonardelli, ...

Drugs for hair loss and BPH may result in loss of libido, ED in men

2011-01-12
(Boston) – Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), in collaboration with colleagues at Lahey Clinic and from Denmark and Germany, have found that 5a-reductase inhibitors (5a-RIs), while improving urinary symptoms in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and possible hair loss prevention, produces significant adverse effects in some individuals including loss of libido, erectile dysfunction (ED), ejaculatory dysfunction and potential depression. These findings, which currently appear on-line in Journal of Sexual Medicine, suggest that extreme ...

Looking good on greens

2011-01-12
New research suggests eating vegetables gives you a healthy tan. The study, led by Dr Ian Stephen at The University of Nottingham, showed that eating a healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables gives you a more healthy golden glow than the sun. The research, which showed that instead of heading for the sun the best way to look good is to munch on carrots and tomatoes, has been published in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour. Dr Ian Stephen, from the School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus, led the research as part of his PhD at the University ...

Research shows single-patient rooms reduce hospital infections in ICU

2011-01-12
Montreal, January 10, 2011 – A research team from the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University has demonstrated that private rooms in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) play a key role in reducing hospital infections like C-difficile. The study, published today in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, also suggests that length of stay would be shorter and this could lead to cost savings to the healthcare system. Infection control in hospitals is a worldwide health concern that can have a serious impact on patient morbidity, mortality and the cost of ...

Polymer membranes with molecular-sized channels that assemble themselves

Polymer membranes with molecular-sized channels that assemble themselves
2011-01-12
Many futurists envision a world in which polymer membranes with molecular-sized channels are used to capture carbon, produce solar-based fuels, or desalinating sea water, among many other functions. This will require methods by which such membranes can be readily fabricated in bulk quantities. A technique representing a significant first step down that road has now been successfully demonstrated. Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley have developed a solution-based ...

University of Oklahoma scientists discover way to stop pancreatic cancer in early stages

University of Oklahoma scientists discover way to stop pancreatic cancer in early stages
2011-01-12
Cancer researchers at The Peggy and Charles Stephenson Oklahoma Cancer Center have found a way to stop early stage pancreatic cancer in research models – a result that has far-reaching implications in chemoprevention for high-risk patients. The research already has sparked a clinical trial in California, and the FDA-approved drug, Gefitinib, should be in clinical trials at OU's cancer center and others nationwide in about a year. The research appears in the latest issue of Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. C.V. Rao, ...

Old-growth forests are what giant pandas need

2011-01-12
The results of a study recently published in the journal Biology Letters indicate that giant pandas need old-growth forests as much as bamboo forests. This work, which was completed through the collaborative efforts of scientists from the Chinese Academy of Science, San Diego Zoo Global, China West Normal University, China Wildlife Conservation Association and the Sichuan Forestry Department, could assist conservationists in creating strategic plans that help conserve this critically endangered bear species. "In this study we show that pandas are associated with old-growth ...

International research team reports major findings in prevention and treatment of blood clots

International research team reports major findings in prevention and treatment of blood clots
2011-01-12
A worldwide research consortium that includes the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center has proven that a new drug is more effective and easier to use than current medicines in the prevention of blood clots following hip replacement surgery. The results reveal a better way to prevent the formation of blood clots in the deep veins of the legs – a condition known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The blood clots become life-threatening pulmonary embolisms (PE) when they break free and travel to the lungs. Gary Raskob, Ph.D., an internationally recognized DVT expert ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Hearing loss lowers prospects of employment and higher income for young Americans

Dramatically lower temperature, same high performance!

Trigger warnings fall flat, but safe spaces build trust in the classroom

Searching for a lethal needle in a haystack: synthetic opioid 1000 times more potent than morphine

Smart wound monitor poised to improve chronic infection care

Study reveals spinning could reduce NHS waiting lists for physiotherapy treatments

New AI tool illuminates “dark side” of the human genome

CCNY team discovers potential chemo-induced cognitive changes in cancer survivors

New mRNA-based therapy that shows promise in heart regeneration after heart attack

Extremists use gaming platforms to recruit - study

Nearly 70% of U.S. children in car crashes with a fatality were not using proper child passenger restraints, study finds

Understanding what makes some bladder cancers resistant to chemotherapy

Protecting your beating heart

The key to lowering your water bill may already be at your door

Saliva testing may reveal early signs of diabetes and obesity

4D images show heat shield damage goes below the surface

Hibernator “superpowers” may lie hidden in human DNA

Changes in diet drove physical evolution in early humans

Experts call for science- and evidence-based AI policy

Challenges in governing rapidly emerging marine-climate interventions

Slowdown in protein translation drives aging in the killifish brain

Behavior drives morphological change during primate evolution

Climate interventions to save our oceans need stronger governance, experts warn

Do you want to freeze a cloud? Desert dust might help

Nanodevice uses sound to sculpt light, paving the way for better displays and imaging

Twinkle, twinkle leopard seal: songs below the ice flow like nursery rhymes

Potato evolved from tomato 9 million years ago

MIT researchers show how the brain distinguishes 'things' from 'stuff'

Impact of the MISSION act on quality and outcomes of major cardiovascular procedures among veterans

Not all low-grade prostate cancers are low risk

[Press-News.org] Call for full access to Tamiflu trial data to allow for independent scrutiny