International pharmaceutical companies have launched a new website designed to allay fears over drug safety.
The website – www.ifpma.org/clinicaltrials – has been put together by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations to be a repository for information about worldwide clinical trials, although companies will have the right to withhold some information.
It has the backing of leading pharmaceutical firms including GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Merck & Co, Novartis and Sanofi-Aventis.
The website allows two broad types of information to be searched for: one is listings of on-going clinical trials, providing access to basic information, including brief title, description in lay terms, trial phase, trial type, trial status, trial purpose (treatment/diagnosis/prevention), intervention type (for example drug or vaccine), condition or disease, key eligibility criteria (including gender and age), location of trial and contact information; the other is the results of completed clinical trials.
‘Today, IFPMA is launching the first international Web portal, to provide doctors, patients and their families with simple access to the most complete information on clinical trials of drugs and vaccines,’ said Dr Daniel Vasella, CEO of Novartis and president of the IFPMA. ‘The launch of this portal shows the pharmaceutical industry’s commitment to full transparency in the interest of patients and healthcare professionals.’
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