Science Fiction
It is now scientifically proven that the vast majority of new scientific research is bunk. Or so claims John P.A. Ioannidis, a clinical epidemiologist who holds positions at the Tufts University School of Medicine and the University of Ioannina in Greece. Writing in the Public Library of Science Medicine, Ioannidis says, "It can be proven ...
It is now scientifically proven that the vast majority of new scientific research is bunk. Or so claims John P.A. Ioannidis, a clinical epidemiologist who holds positions at the Tufts University School of Medicine and the University of Ioannina in Greece. Writing in the Public Library of Science Medicine, Ioannidis says, "It can be proven that most claimed research findings are false." For example, Ioannidis calculates that in his own field, epidemiology, only 1 in 5 studies is accurate. Likewise, three quarters of so-called miracle cures that arise out of small trials turn out not to be cures at all. Ioannidis blames small sample sizes, bias, and conflicts of interest -- both financial and professional -- for the large number of erroneous research findings.
It is now scientifically proven that the vast majority of new scientific research is bunk. Or so claims John P.A. Ioannidis, a clinical epidemiologist who holds positions at the Tufts University School of Medicine and the University of Ioannina in Greece. Writing in the Public Library of Science Medicine, Ioannidis says, "It can be proven that most claimed research findings are false." For example, Ioannidis calculates that in his own field, epidemiology, only 1 in 5 studies is accurate. Likewise, three quarters of so-called miracle cures that arise out of small trials turn out not to be cures at all. Ioannidis blames small sample sizes, bias, and conflicts of interest — both financial and professional — for the large number of erroneous research findings.
His results have sparked a firestorm in the scientific world. Some critics, including New England Journal of Medicine Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Drazen, have argued that even research that proves to be less than perfect can still make a contribution. Others say that Ioannidis has done the profession a favor by confirming publicly what many privately feared. In a few months, the Public Library of Science will launch a new journal to report exclusively on clinical trials with the aim of bringing greater scrutiny to bear on research projects. Drummond Rennie, the deputy editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association, said that although Ioannidis "probably goes a little far" in some of his claims, he is still "considerably correct."
Despite the controversy, there is one fact of universal agreement: Drug company money distorts research. Ioannidis points out that "studies sponsored by the industry that are to gain from the study are three times more likely to arrive at a significant result." Curt Furberg, a professor of public health sciences at Wake Forest University, warns that "honesty in research is going downhill, driven primarily by the drug industry and people who are associated with [it] who make big money being spokesmen for industry."
Ioannidis worries that science’s credibility is on the line, and that these studies "could [become] an excuse for government or funding agencies not to give money." But, then again, he could be wrong.
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