OBJECTIVES: Explore whether product launch strategy can be elucidated by type and timing of industry-sponsored publications.

METHODS: In case #1, we identified a genomic diagnostic test company that publicly listed sponsored research on its tests. We categorized their publications as health economic and outcomes research (HEOR) studies, clinical trials, and in vitro studies. In case #2, we identified a pharmaceutical company that did not list research publicly. To identify sponsored research on a specific product, we developed a PubMed search strategy using company name as text word, limiting publication types to non-US government research support, and searching the condition of interest as MeSH terms or text words. We identified industry-sponsored research based on stated funding source and author affiliation. We used MEDLINE metadata to categorize publications by clinical trial phase and screened studies to identify HEOR. For both methods, we included full-length peer-reviewed English-language articles; we excluded non-human studies and opinions/commentaries.

RESULTS: In case #1 we screened 45 publicly listed studies sponsored on the diagnostic test, excluding 13 conference abstracts/commentaries. Of 32 eligible articles, 21 (66%) were HEOR, 6 (19%) clinical trials, and 5 (16%) in vitro. In case #2, our strategy identified 179 publications, 173 of which were industry-sponsored. Of 69 eligible studies, 65 (94%) were phase 1, 2, 3, or 4 clinical trials; 4 (6%) were HEOR studies.

CONCLUSIONS: Publication strategy differed substantially between examples. Diagnostic methods other than the genomic-based test from case #1 exist, potentially leading the company to publish more HEOR than clinical and pre-clinical studies combined. The pharmaceutical product in case #2 had limited competition at launch, reducing the need to make an HEOR case. Our PubMed search strategy successfully identified industry-sponsored research, and we intend to use the strategy to develop a larger sample of cases.