How Are Studies Done on Meds?

[tednlou2]

My friend took me to the doc today.  In the waiting room, he was reading a magazine and saw an ad for a medication to treat frequent urination and/or urination problems.  I want to say the drug was Toviaz??  Anyway, he told me how he was in a study for the drug a few years ago.  He said after he reported he still had frequent urination after being on the drug, they removed him from the study.  The women he reported to told him the drug company would no longer want him in the study.  He told her that seems like they are creating their own desired results.  She just kind of nodded, but didn't say anything.

This got me wondering how drug studies are done and whether there is manipulation that is common.  While this study was funded by the drug company, it was done by a 3rd party.  I believe he said Indiana University or a medical group connected to I.U. ran the study.  I know the FDA does it's own research, but how much do they rely on studies done or funded by the drug companies?  I'm still confused on the difference between cohort studies and other type of studies.  I know one gives more accurate results, right?  I suppose I need to Google that to edumacate myself.  Anyway, hearing this really surprised me and made me wonder how many people who have adverse reactions are dismissed from the studies, so they aren't counted.  Or, how many participants learn what those running the studies want to hear and tell them what they want to hear, so they can stay in the study and continue to get paid.  My friend said he was paid $50 a week.  He said he really needed that money at the time and may have been tempted to tell them what they wanted to hear.  Maybe his isolated story is just that--isolated.  He and I were trying to come up with legitimate and normal reasons they would dismiss him, but haven't come up with any.

[buginme2]

If the drug is used to treat a condition that is measurable it is conducted using a double blind placebo controlled trial.  Neither the doctors or the patients know if they are receiving the real drug or a placebo.  The results are usually then compared to an existing treatment that already exists.  If the treatment doesnt perform better than the current treatment option it fails.