Two New Sections Offer Further Checks And Balances: Negative And Failed Clinical Trial Reports And Invited Commentary

With this issue of Psychopharmacology Bulletin, I am pleased to introduce two new features as well as announce several changes to our editorial board. First, we are delighted to unveil a new section, entitled “Negative and Failed Clinical Trial Reports.” As is now widely known, a large percentage of the randomized clinical trials conducted by the pharmaceutical industry end in results that either do not distinguish the sponsor’s compound from placebo (i.e., a failed trial) or actually document that the reference compound—typically an already approved medication used for that indication—is significantly more effective than placebo and the novel compound is not (i.e., a negative trial). Failed trials not only plague the pharmaceutical industry: they are not uncommon among the studies conducted by academically affiliated investigators.