‘Publication Bias’ Casts Doubt on Value of Antidepressants for Autism

April 23rd, 2012

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

MONDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) — Studies that show a type of
antidepressant eases autism symptoms are more likely to get published in
medical journals than studies concluding the drugs don’t improve common
behaviors such as rocking and hand-flapping, new research says.

That “publication bias” may mean that physicians believe the
medications — known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) —
are more effective than they really are for children with these behaviors.
Indeed, when researchers combined the data from published studies and
those that never made it into print, the new analysis showed that SSRIs
don’t help repetitive behaviors much at all.

“At least from what we have right now, we need more information to
determine if SSRIs are useful in treating repetitive behavior,” said study
author Melisa Carrasco, of the neuroscience graduate program at the
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. “I don’t think we’re trying to say
they should not be used at all in autism. There is some compelling
evidence toward their use in treating anxiety disorders in autism.”

The study, in the May print issue of Pediatrics, appears online
April 23.

The study also calls into question the effectiveness of current methods
used to evaluate drugs, particularly pediatric drugs, in the United
States. One expert said the findings have implications for countless other
drug trials for other conditions.

It’s long been recognized that drug trials that show the drug is
effective are more likely to be published in peer-reviewed journals, where
the results are widely read and disseminated to doctors, said Dr. Scott
Denne, a professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine,
who wrote an accompanying editorial.

“Positive studies are exciting and potentially groundbreaking. Negative
studies are not particularly exciting and at least in the estimation of
both physicians and investigators, they don’t really change anything, even
though that isn’t necessarily true,” Denne said.

Current U.S. law requires that investigators submit a summary of the
results of drug trials on ClinicalTrials.gov, a national registry of
clinical studies. But often, researchers don’t submit their results, and
the information is never published on the government website, he said.

“A substantial number of trials are not having the results posted
anywhere,” Denne said. This deprives pediatric researchers and the public
of valuable information, and may mean that trials are unnecessarily
repeated.

Carrasco and her colleagues searched PubMed (a U.S. National Institutes
of Health database) and ClinicalTrials.gov for randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled trials (considered the gold standard of research) on
using SSRIs to treat repetitive behavior in people with autism.
Researchers identified five published trials and five unpublished trials
marked as completed on ClinicalTrials.gov.

A meta-analysis (pooled analysis) of the published studies found a
small but significant improvement in repetitive behaviors, including
obsessions and compulsions, among autistic kids treated with SSRIs. When
the unpublished studies were included, that benefit vanished.

About one in 88 U.S. children has autism, a neurodevelopment disorder
characterized by problems with social interaction, communication and
restricted interests and behaviors. That includes repetitive behaviors,
such as arm-flapping or head-banging; having an obsessive interest in one
topic; having a need to stick to a specific ritual or routine; and
experiencing distress or agitation when that routine gets disrupted.

More information

To learn more about autism treatments, visit Autism Speaks.