Clinical trial transparency improves at (some) biopharmas as J&J, Sanofi lead a pack trailed by Valeant and Allergan
Drug makers appear to be more transparent with their clinical trial data than they used to be, according to a new analysis by a coalition of researchers. But not all pharmas are not equally forthright.
The group, led by not-for-profit Bioethics International, looked at clinical trial registration, results reporting, clinical study report synopsis sharing and journal publication rates for new drugs approved by the FDA in 2014. Specifically, they zeroed in on large pharmaceutical companies, and ranked them by transparency metrics.
Jennifer MillerThe researchers reviewed 505 trials for 19 novel drugs and found the public availability of data results was up. Compared to the group’s first analysis in 2015, the proportion of new drugs with all Phase II or III trials disclosed from their NDAs went up from 50% to 67%, and the public availability of results for trials conducted in patients for each drug went up from a median of 87% to 96%.
Some companies fared better than others. Johnson & Johnson and Sanofi/Genzyme both ranked high, while Valeant settled at the bottom of the list, which Bioethics calls its “good pharma scorecard.”
“This year’s scorecard shows clear corporate leaders in clinical trial transparency and industry improvement on several metrics,” said Jennifer Miller, founder of Bioethics and lead author on the analysis, in a statement. “We hope this improvement continues year after year, because clinical trial transparency is critical for advancing innovation, respect for trial participants, and patient health.”
Here is Bioethics’ full list of clinical trial transparency rankings, first by drug maker and then by drug.
