Clinical trials registries: towards improved access to therapeutic data

(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.