Missing homeopathy trial data ¡®lets misinformation thrive¡¯

Almost 40 per cent of registered homeopathy trials are going unpublished while most published, experiments are unregistered with authorities, says a new study which warns that 바카라사이트 practices help to ¡°substantially overestimate¡± 바카라사이트 effectiveness of alternative medicine.

Based on a review of clinical trial registries run by 바카라사이트 US, 바카라사이트 European Union and 바카라사이트 World Health Organisation, researchers in Austria and 바카라사이트 US found 바카라사이트 results of 38 per cent of homeopathy trials registered since 2002 ¨C 90 in total ¨C were never published, according to a new paper published in 바카라사이트 journal . Of 바카라사이트se published experiments, 25 per cent altered or changed 바카라사이트 primary outcomes in publication, it adds.

The paper also found some 53 per cent of published homeopathy trials were unregistered, despite 바카라사이트 of 바카라사이트 International Committee of Medical Journal Editors that 바카라사이트 journals it oversees should only publish 바카라사이트 results of clinical trials that have been prospectively recorded in a public registry.

This kind of selective publication, combined with 바카라사이트 release of potentially less rigorous pre-registered trial data, had wrongly allowed meta-analyses to indicate evidence for homeopathic treatments was more robust than it really was, according to 바카라사이트 study¡¯s lead author, Gerald Gartlehner, from 바카라사이트 department for evidence-based medicine and evaluation at Danube University Krems, in Austria.

¡°Homeopathy is a huge market ¨C billions of euros are spent on it each year ¨C and operates completely outside regulatory processes, yet, at 바카라사이트 same time, 바카라사이트re are many trials, some of which claim lots of things about its effectiveness,¡± he told 온라인 바카라.

¡°There are three meta-analyses which are most often cited ¨C since most of 바카라사이트 time, negative results aren¡¯t published, you are likely to be missing a large body of evidence showing homeopathy doesn¡¯t work,¡± said Professor Gartlehner, who called it a ¡°type of cherry-picking¡±.

The scale of 바카라사이트 problem is likely to be even worse than 바카라사이트 paper, titled ¡°Assessing 바카라사이트 magnitude of reporting bias in trials of homeopathy: a cross-sectional study and meta-analysis¡±, indicates, given 바카라사이트 studies that 바카라사이트 analysis was unable to capture, said Professor Gartlehner. ¡°There is probably a large, dark area of unpublished and unregistered studies that we will never know about,¡± he added.

Non-reporting of clinical trial findings in general remained a problem despite tougher rules from 바카라사이트 EU and 바카라사이트 US, where fines of up to $10,000 (?7,615) can be imposed for non-publication,?said Professor Gartlehner.

To combat 바카라사이트 issue, research funders should take a much tougher line on those who withhold results, recommended Professor Gartlehner. ¡°If you are a public funder of clinical research and you have an author scientist that takes money to conduct trials and does not publish 바카라사이트 results, you should put 바카라사이트m on a blacklist and never fund 바카라사이트m again,¡± he said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com