Paul Wicks, a co-author of the paper, said social network-run studies may be most useful for testing efficacy of so-called off-label or off-patent compounds that patients are using but are unlikely to ever attract pharmaceutical company interest.
Moreover, he argues that most of the omissions can be explained by the focus of the published paper and the increased scrutiny Medtronic gave data before they were submitted to the FDA. He says that the product label for Infuse accurately reflects its safety and efficacy.