Greater transparency now in clinical trials, say drug firms

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry says that a study it commissioned shows that transparency among industry-sponsored clinical trials continues to improve.

The study, published on 6 May in Current Medical Research and Opinion, found that 90 per cent of trials on new medicines approved by the European Medicines Authority in 2012 were disclosed within 12 months, a considerable improvement on 2009 when only 71 per cent of results were disclosed.

Virginia Acha, the ABPI’s executive director of research, medical and innovation said the study highlighted an encouraging trend towards transparency but added: “We do acknowledge that there is more work to do and, alongside our European and international counterparts, we will continue to work with companies towards greater transparency across the industry globally.”