title: Making available information from studies sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry: some current practices.
abstract: Since the web-based registry ClinicalTrials.gov was launched on 29 February 2000, the pharmaceutical industry has made available an increasing amount of information about the clinical trials that it sponsors. The process has been spurred on by a number of factors including a wish by the industry to provide greater transparency regarding clinical trial data; and has been both aided and complicated by the number of institutions that have a legitimate interest in guiding and defining what should be made available. This article reviews the history of this process of making information about clinical trials publicly available. It provides a reader's guide to the study registries and the databases of results; and looks at some indicators of consistency in the posting of study information.
authors.affiliation: Quintiles Ireland Ltd, Dublin, Ireland. mokelly@quintiles.com
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Kelly
authors.forename: Steven A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Julious
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pyke
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Day
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Todd
authors.forename: Jorgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seldrup
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Matcham
mesh_terms: D022126:Access to Information / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012109:Research Support as Topic