Bad pharma: Drug research riddled with half truths, omissions, lies

Sponsors get the answer they want.

Before we get going, we need to establish one thing beyond any doubt: Industry-funded trials are more likely than independently funded trials to produce a positive, flattering result. This is our core premise, and one of the most well-documented phenomena in the growing field of "research about research." It has also become much easier to study in recent years because the rules on declaring industry funding have become a little clearer.