World record in number of P-values in a randomised clinical trial?
In a double-blind trial from Japan in 158 patients with rheumatoid arthritis comparing two nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), tolfenamic acid and indomethacin, 857 significance tests were reported.1 There were analyses of baseline data, multiple benefits and harms outcomes, subgroup analyses based on patient characteristics, control visits, etc. World record in number of P-values
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs do not have anti-inflammatory effects
These drugs are analgesics, but doctors falsely believe that they also have an anti-inflammatory effect. They very often use them in combination with paracetamol because of this belief, even when randomised trials have failed to find an additional effect of the combination compared to using paracetamol alone. I have explained in two of my books why the belief is false. Read more
Drug ads make doctors dumber and patients poorer
In our one-year study we found that advertised drugs were 6 times more expensive than comparators but not better. Our study may have been the reason why the Journal of the Danish Medical Association decided to no longer publish drug ads. Other journals should follow suit.
How we got access to clinical study reports in 2011 despite EMA’s steadfast refusal
On 1 February 2011, we got access to the clinical study reports and their corresponding protocols of placebo controlled trials of two slimming pills, rimonabant and orlistat, submitted by the manufacturers to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for obtaining marketing approval in the European Union.
We applied for access in June 2007, but EMA did not grant us access arguing that it would undermine the protection of commercial interests. We appealed to the European Ombudsman and after 3.5 years and 133 pages of correspondence between EMA, the European Ombudsman and us we got access.
We have described the case briefly here: Gøtzsche PC, Jørgensen AW. Opening up data at the European Medicines Agency. BMJ 2011;342:d2686.
We have also written a more comprehensive 26-page report: Getting access to unpublished clinical trials at the European Medicines Agency.
All the documents in the case are available below. …
How we got access to clinical study reports in 2011 despite EMA’s steadfast refusalRead More »
Made in China: the coronavirus that killed millions of people
It is highly likely that SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology because of sloppy safety procedures. It is also likely that the virus was fabricated on purpose to make it dangerous to humans as part of the so-called gain-of-function research at the institute. Read more
Cochrane: a sinking supertanker? Funding of UK Cochrane groups in jeopardy
I describe what is likely the beginning to the end for Cochrane. According to its major funder, the writing has been on the wall for 8 years, which is exactly the period when Cochrane’s new CEO, journalist Mark Wilson, ruled the organisation and destroyed it. He suddenly left his job, in the middle of a month, five days before the webinar where the major funder criticised Cochrane. Read more
Vera Sharav, President for the US Alliance for Human Research Protection, believes in corona conspiracy theories and makes totally unjustified comparisons with Nazi Germany
At a meeting about COVID-19, Sharav talked endlessly about Nazi atrocities. Much of what she said was pure speculation or constituted totally unjustified parallels to current day societies. Sharav considers Andrew Wakefield, one of the biggest fraudsters in medicine, a hero, and as she is believed by corona deniers to be a credible witness for the thesis that the governments only want to subdue their populations, I found it worthwhile to report some of what she said at the meeting. See here
COVID-19 vaccine passports are not evidence-based and violate people’s freedom of choice
(Rapid response to a BMJ article, reproduced here)
08 April 2021
Maryanne Demasi, Researcher, journalist and Prof Peter Gøtzsche, Institute for Scientific Freedom, Copenhagen 2970, Denmark
Dear Editor
The conversation about COVID-19 vaccine passports has reached fever pitch, with many media outlets reporting that proof of vaccination may be required for entry into pubs, restaurants, entertainment venues, gyms, workplaces or to travel abroad. …
COVID-19 vaccine passports are not evidence-based and violate people’s freedom of choiceRead More »
“Anti-vaxxer” letter about COVID-19 and the vaccines
An “anti-vaxxer” group of people, United Health Professionals, has sent a totally misleading letter to the governments in 30 countries. Peter Gøtzsche has highlighted the many falsehoods and nonsense statements in their letter. Open letter to President Jair Bolsonaro
Editors refused to publish systematic review of animal studies on long-term harms of psychiatric drugs
We submitted our review to four different journals that all accept systematic reviews of animal research, but ended up publishing the review on our website.