title: Public information about clinical trials and research.
abstract: Be it to restore the confused image of clinical research in relation to the lay public, or to develop new ways of accruing healthy volunteers or patients for clinical trials, there is a need to draft some guidance on how best to provide information on research. Although the French legal and regulatory armamentarium in this area is essentially liberal, there is currently little-justified reluctance among study sponsors to advertise publicly. A group of academic and pharmaceutical industry researchers, assembled for a workshop, together with regulators, journalists, representatives from ethics committees, social security, patient and health consumer groups and other French institutional bodies, has suggested the following series of recommendations: there is no need for additional legal or regulatory constraints; sponsors should be aware of and make use of direct public information on trials; a 'good practice charter' on public communication about clinical trials should be developed; all professionals should be involved in this communication platform; communication in the patient's immediate vicinity should be preferred (primary-care physician, local press); clinical databases and websites accessible to professionals, but also to patients and non-professionals, should be developed; genuine instruction on clinical trials for physicians and health professionals unfamiliar with such trials should be developed and disseminated; media groups should receive at least some training in the fundamentals of clinical research.
authors.affiliation: Pfizer, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Yannick
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Plétan
authors.forename: Faïez
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zannad
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jaillon
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D005602:France; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008402:Mass Media; D011641:Public Relations; D012106:Research / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*