Healthy Skepticism Library item: 16085

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Publication type: Journal Article

Clinical trials registries: towards improved access to therapeutic data.
Prescrire Int. 2008 Dec; 17:(98):256-9
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19425275

Abstract:

(1) On July 1, 2005, several leading biomedical journals decided to publish only the results of clinical trials that had been listed in approved registries; (2) More and more clinical trials are now being recorded in a variety of national and international registries by an increasing number of private and public institutions; (3) The international network of WHO-approved registries, operational since 2007, provides access to more than 60 000 trials (in April 2008), but there is still no single comprehensive international registry of clinical trials; (4) The US registry (ClinicalTrials.gov) is publicly accessible, but the public does not have online access to the European registry (EudraCT); (5) These registries would be more useful if registration were transparent and mandatory in all countries where clinical trials are conducted; (6) Patients who agree to participate in a clinical trial should first verify that the study is listed in a WHO-approved registry and that the authors have committed to publish the results.

Keywords:
Access to Information* Clinical Trials as Topic*/ethics Clinical Trials as Topic*/legislation & jurisprudence Clinical Trials as Topic*/standards Databases as Topic*/ethics Databases as Topic*/legislation & jurisprudence Databases as Topic*/standards Databases, Factual*/ethics Databases, Factual*/legislation & jurisprudence Databases, Factual*/standards Drug Industry Europe Humans Information Dissemination*/ethics Information Dissemination*/legislation & jurisprudence International Cooperation Mandatory Reporting Periodicals as Topic Publishing Registries*/ethics Registries*/standards United States United States Food and Drug Administration World Health Organization