Accuracy of Drug Advertisements in Swiss Medical Journals
Author Information
Author(s): Santiago Macarena Gonzalez, Bucher Heiner C, Nordmann Alain J
Primary Institution: Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel
Hypothesis
Are claims in drug advertisements citing published scientific studies justified by these studies after the introduction of new regulations in Switzerland?
Conclusion
Following the introduction of new regulations for drug advertisement in Switzerland, 53% of all assessed pharmaceutical claims published in major medical journals are not supported by the cited referenced studies or based on potentially biased study information.
Supporting Evidence
- Of 2068 advertisements, 577 (28%) promoted analgesic, psychopharmacologic or gastrointestinal drugs.
- Among the 29 unique advertisements evaluated, 37 (47%) claims were supported, 16 (21%) were not supported, and 25 (32%) were based on potentially biased evidence.
- Studies with conflict of interest were more likely to support the corresponding claim.
Takeaway
This study looked at drug ads in Swiss medical journals and found that many claims made in these ads are not backed up by real scientific studies.
Methodology
Cross-sectional study evaluating drug advertisements in six major Swiss medical journals published in 2005.
Potential Biases
Claims were more likely to be supported by studies with identified conflict of interest or industry funding.
Limitations
Only a small fraction of all advertisements contained claims referring to scientific studies, leading to a limited analysis based on relatively few pairs of claims and referenced studies.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
RR 1.52, 95% CI 1.07–2.17 and RR 1.50, 95% CI 0.98–2.28
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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