Pharmaceutical Advertising Skews Supplement Coverage?

by dknowles

A recent study from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine has found that increased pharmaceutical advertising in medical journals is associated with publishing fewer articles about dietary supplements and publishing more articles with conclusions that dietary supplements are unsafe.

This study analyzed 11 major medical journals published from June 30, 2006 and June 30, 2007. Findings included:

• The percentage of articles concluding that dietary supplements were ineffective was 50% higher among journals with more pharmaceutical ads than among those with fewer pharmaceutical ads
• The percentage of major articles concluding that dietary supplements were unsafe was 4% in journals with fewest and 67% among those with the most pharmaceutical ads.

These findings, along with other study findings, including that journals with the most pharmaceutical ads published significantly fewer major articles about dietary supplements, seem to indicate a significant bias against dietary supplements in journals supported by pharmaceutical advertising.

Read the complete study here: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=18400092.

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