Effect of reporting bias on meta-analyses of drug trials: reanalysis of meta-analyses
BMJPublished 3 January 2012Open access
Benjamin Hart, Andreas Lundh, Lisa Bero
Citations242
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ObjectiveStudy objective
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TL;DR
The effect of including unpublished trial outcome data obtained from the Food and Drug Administration on the results of meta-analyses of drug trials varies by drug and outcome.
Abstract
The effect of including unpublished FDA trial outcome data varies by drug and outcome. Unpublished FDA trial outcome data should be available and included in meta-analysis. Making these data easily accessible is particularly important because the effects of including unpublished data vary.
Keywords
Decision SciencesMathematicsPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics
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