1. Enforcing fairness.
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MEDICAL research , *PHARMACEUTICAL industry , *CLINICAL trials , *MEDICINE - Abstract
This article reports about top medical journals have devised a plan to prevent drug firms from suppressing negative results of their clinical trials. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors says its members will refuse to publish papers on clinical trial results if the trial was not recorded publicly at its outset. The journals involved include The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet and The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The register — to be set up over the next 12 months — would record the size, design and purpose of each trial. This should prevent companies from selectively reporting positive results or spinning data to suppress inconclusive or unflattering conclusions, says Catherine De Angelis, editor-in-chief of JAMA.
- Published
- 2004