Denham Springs, LA 5/13/2009 1:22:33 AM
News / Education

Prescription Drug Trial Results Not Always Accurate

A recent study by the New England Journal of Medicine proves that pharmaceutical companies aren't always giving you the whole story.

For years pharmaceutical companies have been all over the airwaves with solutions to your problems. One pill one or two times a day will handle your ADHD, BiPolar, Depression, Restless Leg Syndrome…the list goes on and on, but what if all the success stories we hear so much about weren’t the whole story?

 

A new study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine sheds some light on the unpublished side of things. It was found that pharmaceutical companies were telling us only half truths. “Selective publication of clinical trials – and the outcomes within those trials – can lead to unrealistic estimates of drug effectiveness and alter the apparent risk-benefit ratio.” explains the paper entitled Selective Publication of Antidepressant Trials and Its Influence on Apparent Efficacy. The paper goes on to say that “Among 74 FDA-registered studies, 31%, accounting for 3449 study participants, were not published…A total of 37 studies viewed by the FDA as having positive results were published; 1 study viewed as positive was not published. Studies viewed by the FDA as having negative or questionable results were, with 3 exceptions, either not published (22 studies) or published in a way that, in our opinion, conveyed a positive outcome (11 studies). According to the published literature, it appeared that 94% of the trials conducted were positive. By contrast, the FDA analysis showed that 51% were positive.”

 

A large group of people that are targeted by pharmaceutical companies are drug addicts. “The greatest disservice you can do to someone struggling with drug addiction is to give them another drug,” says Jeff Lukas, Executive Director of Narconon Louisiana a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility in Denham Springs, Louisiana. Narconon Louisiana focuses on handling drug addiction naturally, without any replacement or prescription drugs. “Our mission is to get to the underlying problem of why the person started using drugs in the first place. Through the life skills therapy offered at Narconon, a person can live life without the burden of addiction.” explains Lukas.

 

More and more people are starting to catch on to the skewed reporting by the pharmaceutical companies. NBC and FOX covered the story, warning people that they may have been misled. Although the allure of a “problem free” life is appealing, it is vital to recognize that some things offered as “solutions” will not actually handle substance abuse issues.  

 

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction and in need of help please contact Jeff Lukas at 866-422-4650. You can also visit Narconon Louisiana on the web at http://www.drugabusesolution.com/.

 

Contact: Jeff Lukas