Industry Sponsorship Influences Reporting of Outcomes in Randomized Clinical Trials

Objective: To evaluate the potential influence of industry sponsorship on reporting of landmark clinical trial in ophthalmology. Design: Retrospective review of published literature. Methods: This study retrospectively evaluated landmark clinical trials in ophthalmology from any year of publication, defined as those that substantially modified clinical practice guidelines, shaped standards of care, and are considered to be essential knowledge for trainees in ophthalmology. Such studies were identified from authoritative educational sources and were reviewed by the investigators who screened and extracted information about the study sponsor (industry, government, other, or mixed sponsorship or undisclosed), the primary outcome, whether the reported outcome and stated conclusions were favorable to the sponsor, whether the reported outcome and stated conclusions were in agreement, whether there were reporting discrepancies from the study protocol, and the results of the Risk of Bias 2 ( more...