LETTER
Where's the Bias?
Jack M. Gwaltney, Jr., MD
1 January 1998 | Volume 128 Issue 1 | Page 75
TO THE EDITOR:
The answer to the question posed in Dr. Davidoff's editorial, "Where's the bias?" [1], which concerned the study by Mossad and colleagues [2] on zinc lozenge treatment of the common cold, is that there is reason to believe that the participants were not properly blinded because of a faulty placebo. The reasons for this conclusion were carefully outlined in a previous letter to Annals [3]. That letter should not be dismissed as providing "little criticism" to the scientific quality of the study. Inadequate blinding, if present, is a serious fault in a clinical trial in which effective blinding is a necessary component of the experimental design. Other problems with the design of the study were discussed in the previous letter.
I agree with Dr. Davidoff's answer-"Of course not"-to his rhetorical question, "Does the study in question prove the efficacy of zinc in controlling the symptoms of the common cold?"
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Author and Article Information
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University of Virginia Health Sciences Center; Charlottesville, VA 22908
1. Davidoff F. Where's the bias? [Editorial] Ann Intern Med. 1997; 126:986-8.
2. Mossad SB, Macknin ML, Medendorp SV, Mason P. Zinc gluconate lozenges for treating the common cold. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Ann Intern Med. 1996; 125:81-8.
3. Farr BM, Hayden FG, Gwaltney J Jr. Zinc gluconate lozenges for treating the common cold [Letter]. Ann Intern Med. 1997; 126:738.
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