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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Next >> That's important, he said, because -- unlike in the United States -- glucosamine sulfate is approved for sale as a prescription drug by regulatory agencies in Europe. To gain approval, industry-funded trials must conform to regulatory oversight and are often better designed than independent studies, he noted.
But Vlad doesn't buy that argument. "I would agree with [Reginster] that, in general, drug manufacturers do produce better trials," he said. "But I also believe it is too simplistic to say that academic researchers aren't as good at weeding out confounding factors and things that would influence the results. They can produce trials that are every bit as good."
Another expert weighed in on the issue.
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"I have worked on both sides [industry and independent]," said Malachy McHugh, director of research at the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma, at Lenox Hill Hospital, in New York City. He said one issue at play is the dire lack of quality independent studies.
"In the nutritional supplement area, the bigger problem is that there is a disincentive for companies to have their products tested," he said. "If they can convince people that their product works, why run the risk of proving otherwise? There are also many negative studies that never see the light of day."
Reginster lobbed another major criticism at the Vlad study. In his opinion, the Boston group mixed together trials with widely varying timeframes (four-week studies and three-year trials), glucosamine delivered in both injections and pills, and studies of greatly differing quality. This type of heterogeneity was bound to lead to variety in results, he wrote.
Vlad agreed that his team's analysis did cast a wide net, but he said that's the way meta-analyses are typically performed. "You try and capture all the trials that may be relevant to your question," he said. Select too few trials, he said, and you lose statistical power.
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