Keywords
duloxetine
pregabalin
gabapentin
neuropathic pain
treatment.
Abstract
Introduction: There is a growing concern among clinicians and researchers that many results published in scientific journals are false positives. Objective: To determine the value of evidence or integrity of the body of the published literature on the efficacy of pregabalin, gabapentin and duloxetine in the treatment of neuropathic pain. Methods: A literature search was conducted selecting randomized clinical trials that evaluated the efficacy of pregabalin, gabapentin and duloxetine in neuropathic pain. The p-curve analysis of the studies with statistically significant results was applied to study their distribution. Results: It was demonstrated that there was a significant asymmetry to the right in the p-curve of the three drugs (continuous test p <0.0001) confirming the value of evidence from the studies. Conclusions: Clinicians, scientists and scientific publications should be aware of the growing problem with "p-hacking" and its harmful effects. All parties share the responsibility to maintain the scientific integrity of the published literature.References
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