IP concerns for WHO Clinical Trials Registry

The World Health Organization's launch of the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform was met with some concern by the Geneva-based International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations and outright hostility by the USA-based think-tank the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest.

The WHO proposal is to urge research institutions and companies to "register all medical studies that test treatments on human beings, including the earliest studies, whether they involve patients or healthy volunteers." Specifically, the WHO is calling for 20 key details to be disclosed when studies are initiated. Later this year, the WHO hopes to launch a web-based search portal where scientists, patients, doctors, donors and the general public will be able to search among participating registers for clinical trials taking place or completed worldwide.

Timothy Evans, Assistant Director General of the WHO said: "registration of all clinical trials and full disclosure of key information at the time of registration are fundamental to ensuring transparency in medical research and fulfilling ethical responsibilities to patients and study participants."