The Influence of Industry Sponsorship on the Research Agenda: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: Corporate interests have the potential to influence public debate and policymaking by influencing the research agenda, namely the initial step in conducting research, in which the purpose of the study is defined and the questions are framed. OBJECTIVES: We conducted a scoping review to identify and synthesize studies that explored the influence of industry sponsorship on research agendas across different fields. SEARCH METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, Scopus, and Embase (from inception to September 2017) for all original research and systematic reviews addressing corporate influence on the research agenda. We hand searched the reference lists of included studies and contacted experts in the field to identify additional studies. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included empirical articles and systematic reviews that explored industry sponsorship of research and its influence on research agendas in any field. There were no restrictions on study design, language, or outcomes measured. We excluded editorials, letters, and commentaries as well as articles that exclusively focused on the influence of industry sponsorship on other phases of research such as methods, results, and conclusions or if industry sponsorship was not reported separately from other funding sources. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: At least 2 authors independently screened and then extracted any quantitative or qualitative data from each study. We grouped studies thematically for descriptive analysis by design and outcome reported. We developed the themes inductively until all studies were accounted for. Two investigators independently rated the level of evidence of the included studies using the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine ratings. MAIN RESULTS: We included 36 articles. Nineteen cross-sectional studies quantitatively analyzed patterns in research topics by sponsorship and showed that industry tends to prioritize lines of inquiry that focus on products, processes, or activities that can be commercialized. Seven studies analyzed internal industry documents and provided insight on the strategies the industry used to reshape entire fields of research through the prioritization of topics that supported its policy and legal positions. Ten studies used surveys and interviews to explore the researchers' experiences and perceptions of the influence of industry funding on research agendas, showing that they were generally aware of the risk that sponsorship could influence the choice of research priorities. CONCLUSIONS: Corporate interests can drive research agendas away from questions that are the most relevant for public health. Strategies to counteract corporate influence on the research agenda are needed, including heightened disclosure of funding sources and conflicts of interest in published articles to allow an assessment of commercial biases. We also recommend policy actions beyond disclosure such as increasing funding for independent research and strict guidelines to regulate the interaction of research institutes with commercial entities. Public Health Implications. The influence on the research agenda has given the industry the potential to affect policymaking by influencing the type of evidence that is available and the kinds of public health solutions considered. The results of our scoping review support the need to develop strategies to counteract corporate influence on the research agenda.

Prospective registration and results disclosure of clinical trials in the Americas: a roadmap toward transparency.

The objective of this article is to propose a roadmap toward transparency of clinical trials in the Americas by their prospective registration and results disclosure. This will broaden access to more complete and accurate data and facilitate evidence-informed decision-making and participation in research. Consequently, it should have a positive impact on people's health and should promote trust in health research. Existing initiatives were identified, registration of trials was analyzed following the World Health Organization (WHO) standards on trial registration, and a roadmap is proposed to address the gaps in advancing transparency. The analysis shows that, in spite of numerous regional and country initiatives, clinical trials taking place in nonEnglish-speaking parts of the Americas are underregistered. A roadmap is proposed to enhance research governance and good research practice by improving the transparency of clinical trials. The proposed roadmap includes strategies for implementing WHO international standards for trial registration, for developing international standards of public disclosure of trial results, and for a potential role of the Pan American Health Organization.

Prospective registration and results disclosure of clinical trials in the Americas: a roadmap toward transparency / Registro prospectivo y comunicación de los resultados de los ensayos clínicos en la Región de las Américas

The objective of this article is to propose a roadmap toward transparency of clinical trials in the Americas by their prospective registration and results disclosure. This will broaden access to more complete and accurate data and facilitate evidence-informed decision-making and participation in research. Consequently, it should have a positive impact on people's health and should promote trust in health research. Existing initiatives were identified, registration of trials was analyzed following the World Health Organization (WHO) standards on trial registration, and a roadmap is proposed to address the gaps in advancing transparency. The analysis shows that, in spite of numerous regional and country initiatives, clinical trials taking place in nonEnglish-speaking parts of the Americas are underregistered. A roadmap is proposed to enhance research governance and good research practice by improving the transparency of clinical trials. The proposed roadmap includes strategies for implementing WHO international standards for trial registration, for developing international standards of public disclosure of trial results, and for a potential role of the Pan American Health Organization.

El objetivo de este artículo es proponer una hoja de ruta que fomente la transparencia de los ensayos clínicos en la Región de las Américas mediante el registro prospectivo de los ensayos y la comunicación de sus resultados. Esto brindará un acceso más amplio a datos más completos y exactos, y facilitará la toma de decisiones fundamentada en datos probatorios y la participación en las investigaciones clínicas. En consecuencia, debería tener una repercusión positiva en la salud de la población y promover la confianza en la investigación médica. Después de identificar las iniciativas existentes y analizar los registros de ensayos clínicos según las normas de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) para el registro de ensayos, se propone una hoja de ruta para salvar las brechas y promover la transparencia. El análisis demuestra que, a pesar de las numerosas iniciativas regionales y de los distintos países, hay un subregistro de los ensayos clínicos que tienen lugar en zonas no anglohablantes de la Región de las Américas. Se propone una hoja de ruta para mejorar la gobernanza en la investigación y las buenas prácticas clínicas mediante una mayor transparencia en los ensayos clínicos. La hoja de ruta propuesta incluye estrategias para ejecutar las normas internacionales de la OMS sobre el registro de los ensayos clínicos, formular normas internacionales de comunicación pública de los resultados de los ensayos, y una función potencial de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud.