Modest improvement’ on compliance with trials reporting, but more to be done

The Chair of the Science and Technology Committee, Rt Hon Norman Lamb MP, has commented on evidence submitted to the Committee from the AllTrials campaign. 

Earlier this year the Chair of the Committee wrote to UK universities and English NHS trusts, asking them to verify that their organisations were working towards full compliance in publishing clinical trials results. 

The Committee will hold an evidence session on Tuesday 29 October 2019, as a follow-up to the Committee’s Report on Research integrity: clinical trials transparency, published in October 2018. 

Ahead of Tuesday’s evidence session the Committee is publishing evidence that it has received from the AllTrials campaign which indicates that between January and October 2019, the overall reporting rate for UK university and NHS Trust-sponsored due trials on the EU Clinical Trials Register increased from 48% to 64%. 

The upcoming evidence session will focus on the progress UK universities and English NHS trusts have made in reporting clinical trials data. Representatives of regulatory bodies and publishers will also be questioned on barriers to clinical trials transparency.

Rt Hon Norman Lamb MP, Chair of the Science and Technology Committee, said: 

“It is encouraging to see that in general both Universities and NHS Trusts have worked towards improving compliance with their obligation to publish the results of clinical trials. 

“A number of organisations have taken the Committee’s recommendations seriously and have now reported all their due results. Those institutions should be commended for taking action following my Committee’s Report.  

“However, two-thirds compliance is not enough. I am disappointed that after almost eight months, we have seen only a modest improvement, and some institutions continue to ignore the Committee’s recommendations and flout the rules. 

“When public money is spent on research, organisations need to recognise that they must be accountable - and that means full compliance. But the most important point is that failure to publish fully results in distortion of overall research outcomes. This is totally unacceptable.”

“The Committee will be following up with clinical trials sponsors and regulators to examine the issues and hold the responsible organisations to account.” 

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