Drug Industry Agrees To Disclose More Trial Data

The global pharmaceutical industry unveiled plans on Thursday to publish more data about trials of medicines in a bid to reassure patients following recent alarms over drug safety. Trade groups in the United States, Europe and Japan, in collaboration with major drugmakers, agreed an industry-wide code to publish detailed information about all clinical trials, other than exploratory Phase I studies, on the Internet. The code will be voluntary, but companies are expected to be keen to take part, hoping to head off potentially more onerous legislation from governments in the wake of scandals over pain drug Vioxx and the use of antidepressants in adolescents.

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