All of those research findings — what happens to them when the study is over?
Not enough happens to them, according to federal regulators who recently issued new rules about publishing clinical trial results.
Clinicaltrials.gov was created, in part, to make it easier for the public to find out about research and research results. However, the online publication STAT reported last year that compliance with and enforcement of clinicaltrials.gov reporting requirements was, frankly, pretty pitiful, particularly by academic institutions. In fact, many institutions receiving federal funding were among the worst offenders.
Hence, the new rules. Enforcement will get greater emphasis once they take effect in January 2017 (sounds far away, but it’s really, really not). Another recent STAT article describes the new rules, what prompted them, and includes link to additional background. Please take a look and click around to get familiar with the new requirements and what they might mean for researchers, institutions, and patients.