JSES International (Nov 2024)
Industry affiliation influence on randomized controlled trials for platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis: a systematic review
Abstract
Background: Explicit funding and industry affiliation are believed to potentially impact medical research. There have been an increasing number of studies that have evaluated this relationship. The purpose of this study is to determine whether industry affiliation influences the outcomes of randomized controlled trials that investigate the effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis. Methods: A search of PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and SCOPUS was performed using the search terms “lateral epicondylitis” and “platelet-rich plasma” as well as “tennis elbow” and “platelet-rich plasma.” Only studies from 2010 to present were considered. Final texts were then analyzed for industry affiliation and treatment efficacy. When determining whether a study was industry-affiliated, explicit financial supporters of the study, stated conflicts of interest, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons disclosures, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services open payments database were assessed. Study outcomes were categorized as favorable, analogous, or unfavorable based on achieving a statistically significant (P < .05) comparison between PRP and control. Results: A total of 26 studies were used. Of these, 20 were industry nonaffiliated and 6 were industry affiliated. There were 15 studies (2 affiliated and 13 nonaffiliated) that reported PRP as favorable compared to the comparison (corticosteroid, analogous whole blood, or normal saline). The endpoints were 6 and 12 months after the use of PRP or the comparison. Quantitative data analysis yielded results that were not statistically significant between industry-nonaffiliated and affiliated groups. The P values for 6-month visual analog scale, 12-month visual analog scale, 6-month disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand, 12-month disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand, 6-month patient-related tennis elbow evaluation, and 12-month patient-related tennis elbow evaluation were 0.577, 0.635, 0.554, 0.465, 0.273, and 0.157, respectively. Conclusion: Despite our results indicating that industry affiliation does not have an impact on outcomes of randomized controlled trials examining the treatment of lateral epicondylitis with PRP, it is important for future studies to evaluate affiliations when making treatment recommendations.
