Geneva, 5/16/2005 - Confirming its commitment to provide transparency of clinical trial results, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) today announced it will launch a new internet search portal to provide patients and physicians with full information about ongoing and completed clinical trials. The new tool will provide fast, user-friendly access to all data made available by the research-based pharmaceutical industry on clinical trial registries and databases worldwide.

“Disclosure of clinical trial information can provide an important benefit to physicians and to their patients and families when evaluating the latest biomedical research information and details about clinical trials currently underway that might help alleviate their suffering, ” said Dr. Daniel Vasella, President of IFPMA. “The internet portal will ensure that we help those in need and the medical community rapidly and easily find the data that can help facilitate medical decisions about therapies and future potential treatments.”

To ensure full transparency to interested patients, their families and healthcare providers, the new search engine will establish links to information posted on pharmaceutical company-owned websites and other commercial or government-sponsored websites containing information provided by pharmaceutical companies.

In January 2005, the innovative pharmaceutical industry represented by IFPMA, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), the Japanese Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (JPMA) and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) committed to increasing the transparency of clinical trials sponsored by member companies.

Specifically, the industry volunteered to publicly disclose summary results of all industry-sponsored clinical trials of medicines that have been approved for marketing via free, publicly accessible databases, regardless of trial outcome. In addition, the industry will publicly register new clinical trials being performed to determine a medicine’s therapeutic benefit, including information on how patients and clinicians can enrol in such studies.

Trial results will be published in a standard, non-promotional summary that will include a description of trial design and methodology, results of primary and secondary outcome measures described in the protocol, and safety results. If the results are published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, the database will include a link to the relevant article. The results will be published within one year after the medicine is approved or, for post-approval trials, within one year of trial completion.

IFPMA has selected IBM to develop the internet search portal. This important new tool is expected to be used by patients, medical professionals and officials and will be launched in September 2005.