France permits researchers to access patient data

Researchers at certain French public research organisations have been given access to anonymised patient data for use in their work.

Health minister Marisol Touraine said that researchers in hospital labs, cancer research centres and Inserm, France’s national institute for medical and health research, would gain access to a sample containing 1 per cent of all the patient data held on file.

Other public or private organisations that could show their research was in the public interest, would soon also be able to apply for database access, Touraine said in a statement on 10 April.