Barbara Minton – In a strong and surprising action, the World Health Organization (WHO) made it crystal clear that researchers have an ethical mandate to publish all clinical trial results, regardless of their outcomes. This extends to past trials as well as future, and is the latest move in the battle for full disclosure.
According to its Statement on Public Disclosure of Clinical Trials Results, the WHO is calling for:
- Results from clinical trials to be publicly reported within 12 months of the trial’s end
- Results from previously unpublished trials to be made public
- Calls on organizations and governments to implement measures to achieve this
The action may put a stop to the practice of cherry picking outcomes for public disclosure. An investigation published in March found that during the following 12 months after completion of industry funded trials, only 17% of trial outcomes had been reported.
This number increased to just 41% after five years. Results for the trials funded by the National Institutes of Health produced only 8% disclosure after 12 months, and 38% after five years. It is logical to assume that the results presented to the public were supportive of study hypotheses. Continue reading