BMJ  2006;332:1107-1108 (13 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7550.1107

Editorial

An international standard for disclosure of clinical trial information

Comprehensive disclosure could restore public trust

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The long running campaign for comprehensive registration of clinical trials has taken a turn for the better. Over the past two years discussions have shifted from whether ongoing trials should be registered at all to detailed negotiations with the drugs and devices industries about what information should be registered for which trials and when.

Next week, at a meeting in Brussels to launch international clinical trials day—20 May, the same day as, in 1743, James Lind started his landmark trial of lime juice for scurvy—a landmark of similar historical importance could be struck: the setting of a tough international standard for disclosure of information about trials. Whether it happens or not will depend on the steadfastness of a small group at the World Health Organization.

Since the first calls for a comprehensive registry of clinical trials 30 years ago,^w1 journal editors^w2 and others^w3 have argued repeatedly for trial registration. . . . [Full text of this article]

BMJ, London WC1H 9JR
(fgodlee@bmj.com)

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