Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2010 Sep 13;170(16):1490-8.
doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2010.309.

Association between pharmaceutical support and basic science research on erythropoiesis-stimulating agents

Charles L Bennett  1 , Stephen Y Lai, Michael Henke, Sara E Barnato, James O Armitage, Oliver Sartor
Affiliations
Review

Association between pharmaceutical support and basic science research on erythropoiesis-stimulating agents

Charles L Bennett et al. Arch Intern Med. .

Abstract

Background: To our knowledge, no prior research has evaluated the association between pharmaceutical industry funding and basic science research results. When erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) were licensed to treat chemotherapy-associated anemia, basic science concerns related to potential cancer stimulation were raised. We evaluated associations between pharmaceutical industry support and reported findings evaluating ESA effects on cancer cells.

Methods: Articles identified in MEDLINE and EMBASE databases (1988-2008) investigating basic science findings related to ESA administration in the solid tumor setting were reviewed. Outcomes included information on erythropoietin receptors (EpoRs), Epo-induced signaling events, cellular function, and qualitative conclusions. Information on study funding (academic investigators with no reported funding from ESA manufacturers [64 studies], academic investigators with grant funding from ESA manufacturers [7 studies], and investigators employed by the ESA manufacturers [3 studies]) was evaluated. Some studies did not include information on each outcome.

Results: Investigators without funding from ESA manufacturers were more likely than academic investigators with such funding or investigators employed by ESA manufacturers to identify EpoRs on solid tumor cells (100%, 60%, and 67%, respectively; P = .009), Epo-induced signaling events (94%, 0%, and 0%, respectively; P = .001), or changes in cellular function (57%, 0%, and 0%, respectively; P = .007) and to conclude that ESAs had potentially harmful effects on cancer cells (57%, 0%, and 0%, respectively; P = .008).

Conclusions: Researchers who do not have pharmaceutical industry support are more likely than those with pharmaceutical support to identify detrimental in vitro effects of ESAs. The potential for conflicts of interest to affect basic science research should be considered.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest and Author Contribution Statements:

Charles L. Bennett MD PhD MPP: I declare that I participated in the planning, writing, and literature review for this paper and that I have seen and approved the final version. I have no conflicts of interests to disclose.

Simone N. Boyle BA: I declare that I participated in the planning, writing, and literature review for this paper and that I have seen and approved the final version. I have no conflicts of interests to disclose.

Adam Kuykendal MD: I declare that I participated in the writing and literature review for this paper and that I have seen and approved the final version. I have no conflicts of interests to disclose.

Matthew J. Fisher BA: I declare that I participated in the writing and literature review for this paper and that I have seen and approved the final version. I have no conflicts of interests to disclose.

Athena T. Samaras BA: I declare that I participated in the writing and literature review for this paper and that I have seen and approved the final version. I have no conflicts of interests to disclose.

Sara E. Barnato MD: I declare that I participated in the writing and literature review for this paper and that I have seen and approved the final version. I have no conflicts of interests to disclose.

Robin L. Wagner BS: I declare that I participated in the literature review for this paper and that I have seen and approved the final version. I have no conflicts of interests to disclose.

Carolyn E. Goldstein BA: I declare that I participated in the literature review for this paper and that I have seen and approved the final version. I have no conflicts of interests to disclose.

Jacob Tallman: I declare that I participated in the literature review for this paper and that I have seen and approved the final version. I have no conflicts of interests to disclose.

Hidayatullah G. Munshi MD: I declare that I participated in the planning, writing, and literature review for this paper and that I have seen and approved the final version. I have no conflicts of interests to disclose.

Stephen Y. Lai MD PhD: I declare that I participated in the planning, writing, and literature review for this paper and that I have seen and approved the final version. I have no conflicts of interests to disclose.

Michael Henke MD: I declare that I participated in the planning and writing for this paper and that I have seen and approved the final version. I have no conflicts of interests to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Search methods.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percentage of published studies identifying presence of EpoR, erythropoietin-induced changes in signaling, erythropoietin-induced changes in cellular function and qualitative conclusions by conflict of interest type.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Percentage of research presentations at National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases national meetings identifying presence of EpoR, erythropoietin-induced changes in signaling, and erythropoietin-induced changes in cellular function by conflict of interest type.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kaiser J. Conflicts of interest. Cardiologists come under the glare of a Senate inquiry. Science. 2008;322(5901):513. - PubMed
    1. Lurie P, Almeida CM, Stine N, Stine AR, Wolfe SM. Financial conflict of interest disclosure and voting patterns at Food and Drug Administration Drug Advisory Committee meetings. Jama. 2006;295(16):1921–8. - PubMed
    1. Stelfox HT, Chua G, O’Rourke K, Detsky AS. Conflict of interest in the debate over calcium-channel antagonists. N Engl J Med. 1998;338(2):101–6. - PubMed
    1. Friedberg M, Saffran B, Stinson TJ, Nelson W, Bennett CL. Evaluation of conflict of interest in economic analyses of new drugs used in oncology. Jama. 1999;282(15):1453–7. - PubMed
    1. Booth CM, Cescon DW, Wang L, Tannock IF, Krzyzanowska MK. Evolution of the Randomized Controlled Trial in Oncology Over Three Decades. J Clin Oncol. 2008;26(33):5458. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types