Evidence synthesis · §4
The consequences of a wholly sponsor-generated evidence base — summary of findings
Outcome-by-outcome summary with effect, certainty and the reason for each downgrade.
§4Summary of findings
§4.1Summary of findings
Table 7. Summary of findings for The consequences of a wholly sponsor-generated evidence base.
| Outcome | Participants (studies) | Effect as reported | Certainty | Reason for downgrade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anchor outcome for this review questionThe outcome the Institute designates as anchor for this indication. | 37,696 (24) | Moderate certainty methodological evidence indicates that industry-sponsored trials report more favourable efficacy conclusions and less complete… | Moderate | publication bias |
| Discontinuation for adverse eventsReported as a summary-of-findings row rather than in a tolerability annex, following a public submission. | 29,018 (24) | Reported per contributing trial; see the included-studies table | Moderate | risk of bias |
| Serious adverse eventsEvent counts are low; the estimate is imprecise by construction. | 36,902 (24) | Reported per contributing trial; see the included-studies table | Low | indirectness, publication bias |
| Any adverse eventAscertained by spontaneous report in the contributing trials. | 35,371 (23) | Reported per contributing trial; see the included-studies table | Low | inconsistency, indirectness |
| Certainty ratings describe confidence in the effect estimate for the stated outcome. They are not recommendations and do not transfer between outcomes. | ||||
§4.2Forest plot
Study estimatePooled estimate
§4.3Certainty assessment for the anchor outcome
Table 8. Reasoning recorded against each certainty domain for the anchor outcome.
| Domain | Rating | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Risk of bias | No concern | No serious concern identified in this domain. |
| Inconsistency | No concern | No serious concern identified in this domain. |
| Indirectness | No concern | No serious concern identified in this domain. |
| Imprecision | No concern | No serious concern identified in this domain. |
| Publication bias | Serious | The evidence base is small, recent and wholly sponsor-generated. |
| Overall: Moderate certainty. The true effect is likely to be close to the estimate, but there is a possibility that it is substantially different. Further research is likely to have an important impact on confidence in the estimate. | ||
Compound Evidence Institute · CEI-ES-018/4 · https://compoundevidence.com/syntheses/sponsor-conducted-evidence-base/summary-of-findings/ · retrieved 30 July 2026