Thursday, September 29, 2005

Drug Firms Launch Web Site to Disclose Trials Data

LONDON (Reuters) Sept 21 - The global pharmaceutical industry launched a new Web site Wednesday, Sept 21 giving details of clinical trials on new medicines in a bid to allay patient fears over drug safety.

The new portal Clinical Trials established by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, links available online information about clinical trials worldwide

The pharmaceutical industry recognizes that a broader access to clinical trial information can be of significant benefit to patients as well as to the medical community in that it can help to facilitate medical decisions about potential therapies.

In a joint EFPIA/IFPMA/JPMA/PhRMA position on the disclosure of clinical trial information via clinical trial registries and databases that industry issued in January 2005, it committed to make information available on ongoing clinical trials (Clinical Trials Registries) as well as on results of clinical trials (Clinical Trials Results Databases).

By providing a single user-friendly entry site, the IFPMA portal aims to facilitate patients' and doctors' searches for comprehensive information on clinical trials.

(For example I entered a search for "pulmonary fibrosis" and received hundreds of results. Merv)

What information can you find by using this portal?

The new internet search portal establishes links to IFPMA member company websites as well as other commercial and government-sponsored websites containing information on clinical trials provided by pharmaceutical companies.

Firstly, the portal can be used to search the mentioned websites for information on newly initiated clinical trials that are performed to determine the therapeutic benefit of a given medicinal product. Here, patients (in conjunction with their healthcare providers) will find as well information on how to enquire about enrolling in the ongoing trial they are interested in.

Secondly, the portal enables the user to find results of clinical trials conducted on medicinal products that have been approved for marketing. Industry committed to disclose these results in a non-promotional summary, regardless of the trial outcome.

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