Royal Pharmaceutical Society to play active role in AllTrials campaign
The English Welsh and Scottish Boards have announced today a commitment to increased clinical trial transparency through active membership of the AllTrials campaign.
AllTrials is calling clinical trials from the past 20 years and to date to be registered, and the full methods and the results reported.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has always been and continues to be in complete agreement with this aim.
We also recognise, however, that to achieve this, a concerted, co-ordinated and collaborative action will be required globally by governments, regulators, researchers and research bodies, journals of record and the pharmaceutical industry.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has pledged the following support to the campaign:
– The Society will promote the AllTrials campaign to its members and actively encourage more to join
– While the Society is a membership body with no regulatory power, it can and will educate and encourage its members to adhere to the highest standards of clinical trial data transparency
– The Royal Pharmaceutical Society through its existing partnership with Sense about Science will be offering advice to the group on how the aim of complete clinical trial transparency can be realistically achieved in pharmaceutical science
– To respond to the to inquiry into clinical trials and disclosure of data by the Science and Technology select committee
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society will continue to fully support the Ethical Health and Life Sciences Group that seeks to evolve the relationship between healthcare professionals and commercial life science organisations to ensure that it meets the expectations of stakeholders and creates a platform for increased collaboration and partnership for the benefit of patients. This work includes the production of guidance on clinical trials, which are currently being reviewed.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society will actively encourage members to participate in the review of the ESHLSG guidance documents: Clinical Trials and Working Together – contact us at sera.onofrei@rpharms.com to get involved.
While AllTrials is an important petition that raises awareness of the need for greater clinical trial transparency, ESHLSG’s membership consists of health and pharmaceutical organisations with the power to bring about these changes. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society therefore supports the complementary aims of AllTrials and ESHLSG, and will work with both groups to achieve these aims.
RPS Chief Scientist, Professor Jayne Lawrence said:
“Ensuring the scientific research community publish and have access to clinical trial data will improve our knowledge of the safety and effectiveness of existing medicines as well as possibly giving us an opportunity to look at new uses for older medicines. The pharmaceutical scientists I have spoken to are absolutely committed to supporting transparency in clinical trials.
Tracey Brown, Managing Director, Sense about Science said:
“It is very good news that the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has joined AllTrials. The Society has a wealth of experience from the organisation of basic research through to professional practice. Pharmacists know as well as anyone that reliable, complete information is essential to calculate the risks and benefits of medicines to patients. We are keen to enlist their help in developing practical steps to bring about that goal as quickly as possible.”