© 2005 Oxford University Press
NEWS |
Clinical Trial Transparency: Registries, Databases Raise Questions, Stir Debate
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Although clinical trial registries and results databases have enjoyed renewed support among many patients and their advocates, physicians, scientists, and government officials, there is no shortage of opinions about what they should include and how they should be implemented and used. Complicating matters is the fact that there are more than 350 different registries, many run by single institutions or organizations.
Clinical trial registries have been around for decades, but several events in the last 2 years—including questions about the safety of using antidepressants in children and the cardiovascular safety of several cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitors—have sparked renewed interest in establishing a mandatory reporting requirement for all clinical trials. Many supporters also maintain that those trial registries or some other database system should pair up a study's results with its original protocol. (See News, Vol. 97, No. 6, p. 410, "Clinical Trials Registration Efforts Gain Some Ground.")
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Registry, Database Limitations
Industry Concerns