Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28893743›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2017

An analysis of redactions in Canada's Common Drug Review Clinical Review Reports and how they relate to the patients' voice.

Allison Soprovich, Sylvia El Kurdi, Dean T Eurich

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 29% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Allison SoprovichAlliance for Canadian Health Outcomes Research in Diabetes, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research Innovation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Sylvia El KurdiAlliance for Canadian Health Outcomes Research in Diabetes, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research Innovation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Dean T EurichAlliance for Canadian Health Outcomes Research in Diabetes, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research Innovation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Alliance for Canadian Health Outcomes Research in Diabetes · CAUniversity of Alberta · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

importanceCanada's Common Drug Review (CDR) evaluates drug data from published and unpublished research, as well as input from patient groups, to recommend provincial coverage. Currently, the CDR process gives manufacturers the opportunity to redact information in the final publicly available report. Patients often have strong feelings regarding the efficacy, harms, health-related quality of life (HRQL), and cost associated with the drugs under review and their redacted data. Highlighting Canada's approach will hopefully build on the growing international concern regarding transparency of clinical study data.

objectiveThe purpose was to objectively examine and classify completed, publicly available CDR-Clinical Review Reports (CRR) for redactions, and compare them to the patients' reported interests as patient-centred outcomes.

methodsTwo independent reviewers searched for and examined publicly available CDR-CRR from November 2013-September 2016 through the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) on-line database. Both reviewers separately classified the redactions and patient-reported interests into the following categories: efficacy, harms, HRQL and costs. All discrepancies were rectified by consensus involving a third reviewer.

resultsFifty-two completed CDR-CRR were reviewed. 48 (92%) included patient-reported interests and 40 (77%) had redactions classified in the following categories: efficacy (75%), costs (48%), harms (38%), HRQL (23%). 89% of redactions were outcomes identified as patient-reported interests (69% efficacy, 42% harms, 36% cost, 33% HRQL). When examining drug characteristics, biological agents were statistically associated with increased odds of redactions with respect to either efficacy (OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.0 to 11.6) or harms (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.02 to 12.4) compared with non-biological agents.

conclusionsWhether data from the CDR-CRR used in the decision-making should be fully disclosed to the public is controversial. Our findings suggest clinical data (efficacy, harms, HRQL) matters to patients and should be publicly available within the CDR-CRR. Canada trails Europe and the USA regarding the transparency of clinical study data. This lack of transparency relates to the patient voice, and limits movement towards patient-centred care and patient-engaged research, restricting real-world value measurement.

Indexed as

Access to InformationAttitudeBiomedical ResearchDisclosureDrug Utilization ReviewResearch ReportBiomedical TechnologyCanadaCosts and Cost AnalysisDatabases, FactualDecision MakingDrug-Related Side Effects and Adverse ReactionsHumansPatient PreferenceQuality of LifeTreatment Outcomedrug reviewhealth technology assessmentpatient outcomestransparency

Identifiers

PMID28893743
PMCPMC5595205
OpenAlexW2750874693

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.