Science and Technology Committee takes further action on clinical trial transparency

The House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee announced today that its Chair, Norman Lamb MP, has written to more than forty UK universities to ensure they are complying with clinical trials transparency requirements. The letters follow the Committee’s report, published in October 2018, that recommended significant improvement in this area.

Further information on the letters and their recipients is available on the Committee’s website. The Science and Technology Select Committee plans to revisit later this year and may seek evidence from institutions which have not made sufficient improvements to their practices.

UKRIO agrees with the Committee that ‘selective non-publication of the results of research distorts the published evidence base and is a threat to research integrity.’ We have promoted and supported transparency in research through our practical advisory service, our education and training, and the other services we provide to the research community. A key standard in our Code of Practice for Research is that ‘researchers have a duty to publish the findings of all clinical research involving human participants.’

We recognise the need to do more in this area. In the coming months, we intend to highlight key good practice in clinical trials transparency, as learning points for the research community. We will also work with other organisations to help implement the recommendations of the Committee’s October 2018 report.