Web Site Offers Clinical Trial Details to the Public

Pharmacists, as well as patients, arenow able to quickly obtain details ofclinical trials for new medicines indevelopment via a new Web site establishedby the pharmaceutical industry.This Internet site, www.ifpma.org/clinicaltrials, provides detailed informationabout most, but not all, clinicalstudies under way by the globalpharmaceutical industry. By makingthis information more easily accessibleto the public, drugmakers hope toallay consumer concerns over thesafety of new pharmaceuticals.

Those concerns spiked earlier thisyear following the withdrawal of Vioxxand disclosures of serious side effectsassociated with other pain medicationson the market. Created by the InternationalFederation of PharmaceuticalManufacturers and Associations, thenew Web site is designed to enablepatients to learn about opportunitiesto participate in clinical trials for drugsbeing studied to treat their conditions.

Mr. Rankin is a freelance medical writer.